Forever Entwined
by vintage sparks
Summary: Sam Witwicky was not the first human to befriend Bumblebee. When Brielle Piper has a chance encounter in the desert, her and the Autobot's destinies become forever entwined.
1. Impossible Situation

_Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers._

_Brielle Piper & other non-cannon character belong to me._

_No copy write infringement intended. _

_This chapter includes pre-2007 movie events. The story will encompass all three movies as well, slightly tweaked of course._

_I hope you enjoy! _

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><p><strong>Impossible Situation<strong>

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><p>Megatron's fury filled optics glowered down at Bumblebee. The last thing the yellow Autobot remembered was the rage consumed Megatron lashing out towards him, crushing his voice box. Ratchet never had a chance to see whether it was repairable or not. He remembered leaving his home in search for the All Spark: the great Cube that holds the power to create worlds. If it fell into the wrong hands, Primus knows what would happen. Bumblebee wandered through the vast depths of space in hopes of triangulating the signal from the All Spark. As he did so, he thought about how long it had been since he'd last seen his home.<p>

'_What home?'_

Cybertron was no more. The Autobot reckoned he'd never see his planet again. As difficult as it was, Bumblebee had to push his grief aside and locate the All Spark. His scanners indicated that the Cube was located on the planet Earth, but he could not zero in on its exact location. He would make planetfall there and then locate the All Spark before the Decepticons. There was no time to waste.

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><p>"Let's all sing a song!"<p>

Ambrielle Piper glowered at her sister, Marie, who was trying her best to make this car ride as miserable as possible.

"Let's not and say we did." retorted Brielle.

Marie pursed her lips. "You all suck. Just so you're aware."

Brielle was grateful that she was good at not giving a damn.

The Piper family: mom, dad, Anthony, and the twins, Brielle and Marie, were on an excursion to Tucson, Arizona to visit family. To drown out Marie's pleads for a family sing-a-long, dad turned up the radio. Anthony crossed his arms and smirked. "Now you _know _dad's serious when he'd rather listen to rap then you!" Brielle laughed boisterously and high-fived her older brother. The rolling of Marie's green eyes meant that she'd been defeated.

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><p>It had been about an hour and a half since the Pipers reached Aunt Lynn's house and everyone seemed to find their niche pretty quickly. Dad was watching TV with Lynn's husband Dale, mom was having bag-in-a-box wine with Lynn, Anthony was texting his girlfriend, Marie was on her laptop trying to hack into her high school's website to change her Chemistry grade, and Brielle was in the basement where Dale kept his punching bags.<p>

iPod strapped snugly to her waist, ear buds securely in her ears, Brielle took full advantage of her uncle's makeshift gym. While Marie was the brains between the two, Brielle was the brawn. Her sister was an absolute genius with computers. She met up with a fellow hacking aficionado by the name of Glen Whitmann and the two are practically best friends now. No one ever pegs Marie as a computer whiz either due to her overtly feminine countenance. The twins were like yin and yang in almost every sense. Marie went so far as to dye her hair a darker brown so it was easier to differentiate between the two.

"Brielle!" Marie called from the stairs. Brielle nearly knocked herself over in surprise. "Want me to change your Geometry grade?"

Brielle's eyes sparkled. "A+!"

Marie scoffed. "How about something believable?"

Brielle threw a sideways glare at her sister. "Solid B?"

Marie smiled her irresistibly sweet smile and flounced back upstairs. How that girl was able to do what she could at seventeen astounded just about everyone.

While Marie hacked computers and watched her reality shows, Brielle practiced her martial arts and read. A lot.

She continued her mantra just as before: jab, jab, punch, duck, kick. Repeat. Brielle had belts in karate, tae kwon do, and a couple weapon-based martial arts. Her father signed her up for the classes at a young age in order for her to deal with her anger issues. This was ironic since Mr. Piper contributed to her anger.

"You're not good enough."

"Marie is going to get far."

"Why couldn't I have another son instead?"

Although they were jokes, Brielle took them to heart. That's why Brielle imagined she was pounding her dad most of the time.

The brunette had already been down here for almost two hours and she was starting to break a sweat. Her mind racked through different ways she could cool down. Drink water? A nice cool shower? _'Uncle Dale does have that motorcycle out front.'_ Brielle mused, but she didn't have her leathers or her helmet. It would be exceedingly reckless of her. It'd be too dangerous.

Brielle grabbed the keys to the bike and was out the door in fifteen minutes.

The Bike, a Honda VTX 1800R, rode smooth as silk. The long stretches of highway called out to Brielle, pulling her closer to her unknown destination. The wind furiously whipped her face and made her wavy hair look like it was trying to escape her scalp.

In Nevada, the desert stretched for miles. Brielle didn't even think of the possibility that she could run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. She was only focusing on not losing control of the bike.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon. Brielle couldn't see a soul on the road besides herself. Little did she know that she was farther away from home than she'd anticipated.

Suddenly, intense lights shone straight from behind her. A low thrum followed after. Those were helicopters! Brielle started to panic. What if Dale reported the bike stolen? What if he called in the freaking FBI to find his precious bike? _'I'm so screwed.'_

To Brielle's shock, the shady helicopters flew over her. She breathed a sigh of relief. _'If they weren't after me, then what are they looking for?' _Her question was answered when she noticed an old yellow Camaro driving like a bat out of hell a few miles in front of her.

"Woah shit!" she shouted, adrenaline kicking in overtime now. In her mind Brielle was squealing like a little fangirl. She had always hoped she'd be able to experience _something _exciting in her life. Anything. This by far takes the cake. _'Now let's see if I can get a little closer . . .'_

Before she could really fudge the speed limit, the Camaro veered off the road. Brielle pulled the breaks hard, a loud screech emanating from the tires. What came next would forever be ingrained in Brielle Piper's memory.

The yellow car began to shift, no, transform. Plates loosened and then folded into each other in a swift motion, revealing a humanoid figure doing a somersault and then landing on his feet.

"Jesus."

Brielle's eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She began to mutter a string of profanities, a habit she picked up from her mother. Her mind told her to run the hell away, that this giant robot could be dangerous, but she couldn't help but think, _'I wanted excitement. This is it. Don't run. You'll regret it.'_

A mask of sorts extended from the top of the robot's head. Oh God, was it going to shoot down the helicopters? What if it came for her next? Brielle pushed her bike over to a jagged boulder that concealed her and the bike. Peering from the top of the rock, she noticed the eighteen-foot-tall robot did not retaliate. Instead, it dodged the attacks from the helicopters _'Since when did helicopters have missiles!' _and tried to find an escape route. The robot abruptly shone his lights at the helicopters, blinding them, and made his escape.

Brielle made mental commentary the entire time. Why did it not attack? It seemed to be making sounds of exhaustion. Most of all though, Brielle concentrated on the robot's face. There was raw emotion. She could see when it winced with pain and when his optics widened with surprise. "That's not artificial. Can't be." she murmured to herself.

The helicopters flew off in the opposite direction, assuming that the alien robot made his escape northwards. Luckily, Brielle managed to see that big n' yellow made his escape in Camaro form and hid behind a row of tall cacti. _'Clever thing.'_ Brielle mused.

Only when the beating wings from the helicopters faded in the distance did Brielle budge from her hiding place. Her movement was very deliberate, her eyes never leaving where she knew the alien Camaro robot thing was. From what she saw, it looked like a missile from one of the helicopters blasted the poor guy's arm up pretty good.

Brielle had always been a sucker for all things non-human. She'd cry more if a dog died in a movie rather than if a person died. That's just how she was.

From the old American military stereotype, those FBI guys were probably trying to capture the robot to perform experiments on it, but what if it felt pain? What if it was in pain right now? Brielle's heart wrenched. She couldn't leave it there . . . but what could she do? What if it attacked her out of fear?

There was one thing Brielle knew, and that was if she went home, she would regret her decision for the rest of her life.

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever done. Here goes nothing."

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><p>It was exceedingly difficult to evade humans without harming them.<p>

Bumblebee was en route to Tucson before being attacked by what he'd come to learn was an American military organization known as Sector 7. They first attacked back in Virginia where he made planetfall. The organization had been hot on his tail ever since.

'_Better them than a Decepticon.' _

The Autobot transformed out of his vehicle mode to inspect the damage on his left arm. His upper armor had taken most of the blow. Within a night's recharge, he'd be fine. For now, he sat on the sandy ground to catch his breath. Between dodging humans and Decepticons, it was nonstop. His break was cut short, however; when his scanners picked up an organic life form creeping up from behind.

His face mask locked into place and the plates on his right arm extended and formed a plasma cannon. These humans would not give up.

To his surprise, it turned out to be a younger organic. Female. The fragile human held her hands up, palms facing forward. She took a step back and nearly tripped over a rock. Bee held back a chuckle.

"H-hey," she stammered, "I don't want to hurt you. I'm friendly. Friend-ly." she chewed on every syllable. The female didn't realize that Bee could understand English. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. Your arm?"

Bumblebee immediately looked to his damaged left arm. The female didn't appear to be a threat, so he retracted his plasma cannon.

Bumblebee was about to speak to the girl before he remembered his voice box was shot. It had been so long since he needed to use it that he forgot it existed at all. Instead, he cut his radio on and the sharades would begin. "I'm a survivor, I'm not gonna give up . . ."

"You know Destiny's Child?" the female asked, her optics widening with amusement. The Autobot couldn't help but feel amused. Humans were an interesting race that he would in his free time like to observe.

"Can you speak?" she questioned.

He cut the radio on once more. "This is XM7 radio live from Los Angeles . . ."

The girl tilted her head. "Through the radio?" she asked, her voice raising an octave.

Bumblebee's radio cut to loud applause and he too applauded the female. At least some humans had intelligence.

The female gawked at Bumblebee's arm for a moment before her face scrunched together. Was she wincing? It was as if she felt the pain _for _him. Bee's radio buzzed to life once more. "Just a flesh wound . . ."

That didn't seem to reassure her, for she still looked worried. Did she not realize that Bumblebee was made of a much sturdier material than she?

The female pointed towards the North and asked, "Why were they chasing you?"

"An asteroid landed in Virginia and vanished into thin air –_bzzkt—_Visitors from heaven! –_bzzkt—_Experimentation at Area 51 . . ."

The organic's lips formed an 'o' shape. How interesting it would be if he were able to form that same shape, something so simple for a human, yet not possible for him.

Bumblebee heard the girl mutter "I knew it" before looking up to him with her lips outstretched in a smile. "Sorry. The government is just a bunch of assholes. That's what my mom says, anyways."

Bumblebee snickered. His radio kicked on and responded, "You said it, not me."

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><p>Brielle was trying so hard not to lose her shit right now.<p>

She was communicating with an alien robot. Instead of fearing for her life, the girl was remarkably flustered. She wanted to make a good first impression, something she normally wouldn't care about, but this wasn't one of dad's friends from the office. "If Earth is big enough for us humans, your planet must be massive."

The robot's expression turned down into a look of melancholy. Brielle instantly felt horrible. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." she said, placing her hand on part of his leg.

The robot seemed taken aback by the gesture. This human was bolder than most. His radio cut on and said, "kid, you ain't seen nothin' yet."

'_Just what the is that supposed to mean?'_ Brielle thought. Of course there's probably more where he came from, but just what did they look like? Were they identical but in different colors? How do they survive if they're made of metal? What's their skeleton like? Many questions blurred in Brielle's mind and it was like torture to try and pick out the right questions from the jumbled stew. Damn her curious nature.

The robot's radio cut on again. "How'd you end up over here?"

"Hm? Oh—" It took Brielle a moment to process its question. "I was riding my bike. Well, it's not actually mine. I, uh, borrowed it from my uncle."

The robot's blue optics stared at her long and hard.

Brielle sighed and quickly added, "Okay, _maybe_ I didn't ask permission. Don't tell anyone."

The robot crossed his arms and made a 'tsk tsk tsk' noise while shaking his head. Brielle rolled her eyes and jested, "Who are you, my mom?"

Then the robot's radio kicked on and, in a very motherly voice, said "I want you in bed my 10:00 young lady," making Brielle laugh. Then, she realized that she had totally lost track of time.

"Oh shit." She muttered while pulling her cell phone from her back pocket. 10:30! And five missed calls from her dad. She was in deep shit now. "I'm so sorry. My parents will kill me if I'm out any later. Oh God. I— Woah hey!"

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><p>'<em>Human children and their curfews.' <em>Bumblebee thought.

The Autobot scooped up the female with his good hand and proceeded to take her to her transportation. His scanners indicated that the motorcycle was behind the rock formations just at the side of the road. His scanners also picked up something much more threatening than Sector 7 soldiers.

A Police cruiser drove down the road, its engine revving vigorously. Even with his disguise, Bumblebee recognized the Decepticon anywhere.

Barricade.

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><p>Brielle wasn't expecting an escort, but she appreciated it. She could barely see a thing now that the sun had set. As the robot carried her to her bike, she couldn't help but stare at his injured arm. She knew a little about mechanics, so maybe she could help. Then again, this wasn't your everyday Chevy. This was an advanced alien life form.<p>

And the advanced alien life form suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Afraid of the dark?" she teased.

The robot cradled Brielle closer to his chest and the plates on the its exterior began to fold outwards into its Camaro form; this time with Brielle inside.

"What'd y'do that for?" she asked, but the car made what sounded like a "shhhh" noise. Brielle's brow furrowed with confusion. It wasn't until a Police cruiser approached that Brielle understood. It looked like the cop didn't notice them. Brielle sighed with relief.

Then the car stopped.

Brielle held her breath. She broke out in a cold sweat. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if the cop discovered that the car was really an extraterrestrial being. To calm herself down, she began counting slowly in her head, something she'd learn from her martial arts classes. _'One, two, three—'_

It looked like the Camaro had a different plan. In an instant the car's lights illuminated the police car and the engine kicked on and revved threateningly. Brielle's hands covered her mouth before she could let out a yelp. Then, the police car matched the Camaro's actions. It was on now.

The police car and Camaro simultaneously hit the gas and headed right for each other. Brielle clenched the door's handle, her knuckles turning white. Before the cars could collide, the police car transformed, taking the form of yet another robot.

Brielle began to pick her legs up and push against the dash board as if that would get her out of this impossible situation. She screamed and shouted a string of 'no's' and then braced herself for impact.

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><p>Bumblebee had to be swift if he wanted to get out of this situation without harming the human. Barricade transformed and extended a circular spinning blade. This is where things would get tricky.<p>

In car form, Bumblebee extended his wheels in such a way that pushed him upwards. While in mid-air, he transformed. In the process, the human fell downwards towards Barricade's blade. Her screams alerted Barricade that Bumblebee was not alone and a malicious cackle erupted from the Decepticon. It all felt like slow motion now. Bumblebee used his injured arm to grab the female and his right arm formed cannon, shooting Barricade twice in the head. Bumblebee landed on his back with the human seemingly unharmed.

The Autobot reprimanded himself. _'Too close.'_

Barricade landed face first on the desert floor. He spat out fluid before taunting his foe. "So, Bumblebee has made a little friend has he? I'll rip the fleshling apart."

The human was in serious danger now. He quickly placed the female on the highest rock formation he could find, signaled her to stay put, and proceeded to block Barricade's tackle. The Decepticon slammed Bee to the ground and pummeled his head. Bumblebee's plasma cannon fired repeatedly at his foe, but only one shot made an impact which sent Barricade flying backwards.

This wasn't the first time Bumblebee fought Barricade, but he couldn't process how he'd be able to make an escape without assistance. He needed a miracle, or dumb luck.

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><p>Brielle watched helplessly from where the robot, Bumblebee, had placed her. If it wasn't for him, that thing would've cut her to pieces. The girl watched the battle on her hands and knees. The jagged rock ripped her jeans more than they already were and sliced and her knees. Brielle's vision was perpetually blocked by cascades of her light brown hair, so she frantically gathered her waist length hair and pushed it to one side. When her fingers ran through her cascading waves, she felt something was a bit off. The circular buzz-saw missed her alright, but it managed at slice off a noticeable chunk of her hair.<p>

Okay, now she was pissed.

Brielle was incredulous. It was laughable how angry she was because of her chopped tresses.

"That son of a bitch."

Snapping back to reality, Brielle saw that Bumblebee was pinned down against the jagged rocks by the cop car from hell. Her eyes narrowed menacingly. It was personal now. Grabbing the biggest rock she could carry, Brielle loomed over the edge of the formation. She sucked in a lung full of air before hurling the rock right at the evil robot's head.

An alarming screech left the robot's mouth as the jagged boulder scraped the side of his face, damaging his red optic in the process. The silver robot glared up at her and howled angrily. Brielle had royally pissed him off now.

The robot shouted, "You worthless flesh bag!" and aimed a cannon towards her. "You will suffer!"

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><p>Bumblebee was incredulous. Did she seriously just do that? What in Primus' name does she think she's doing trying to attack a Decepticon! It took the Autobot a moment to realize he had been freed from Barricade's grasp. Bumblebee slammed against Barricade's chest plates with his injured shoulder, making him wince in pain, but the force knocked Barricade back far enough for him to aim his cannon right under Barricade's armor and shoot. The Decepticon cried out in pain and clenched his destroyed chest. It was sheer luck on Barricade's behalf that Bumblebee missed his spark.<p>

Barricade knew he was vulnerable, so he thought it wise to hightail it out of there. "This isn't over, Autobot! We _will _have the All Spark!" His last words rang through the Nevada desert, "All hail Megatron!" before transforming back into a police cruiser and taking off.

Bumblebee's gears simmered down. It was over for now. His plasma cannon reverted back into an arm and his attention turned towards the human, who still sat where Bumblebee had initially placed her. His circuits where whirring frantically. He tried desperately to piece together proper words but to no avail. Finally, he spoke, but it was without the aid of his radio.

"What the slag were you _thinking_!" Bumblebee immediately regretted using his damaged voice box. Hot pain seared through his circuits and he coughed in pain.

The girl crossed her arms defiantly and retorted, "Did you see what he did to my hair? Do you know how long it took me to grow it out?"

The human risked her life because of her hair. Beautiful.

"And it looked like you needed some help. It worked, right?"

She had Bumblebee there. Who knows what would've happened if she hadn't thrown that rock.

The girl did a double take and added, "Wait. That was your actual voice, yes?"

Bumblebee nodded. The pain had receded. He definitely couldn't use his voice until Ratchet took a look at it. He held out a hand and grasped the human, escorting her to her motorcycle once more.

"Your name's Bumblebee." the female stated. Her green eyes met his blue optics and she continued, "I'm Brielle Piper. Thanks for saving me."

His radio replied. "You are the one _–bzzkt—_who saved _–bzzkt—_me."

Brielle's face altered in coloration to a pinkish red. "It was nothing. Really. More dumb luck than anything."

Dumb luck. Something the two of them had in common.

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><p>The final words from the evil robot ran through Brielle's head a million times.<p>

Autobot. All Spark. Megatron.

Those were the key words that helped Brielle piece together the puzzle. "So," she began, "You are an Autobot. This All Spark thing is pretty important, and the bad guy worships something called Megatron."

The robot waved his hand and it sounded like he was saying, "More or less."

Bumblebee set Brielle down next to her bike. It was really late now. She was seriously dead, but it was worth the lecture and the yelling. Bumblebee crouched down, his massive figure looming over her. "Oh, just one quick thing." she muttered before pulling out her cell phone. "I promise I won't tell anyone I saw you, but" she turned the camera on her phone and aimed it at the yellow Autobot. "This is to make sure this wasn't all a dream."

Bumblebee graciously posed for the picture, making a peace sign he'd seen done many times before by humans. Brielle laughed and thanked him. "I wish I could help you more." she said, putting her phone away. "But I don't know what I could do."

Brielle hated that she couldn't help. She wished more than anything that she could help Bumblebee get this All Spark or whatever was going on. She was just a little human. Her father always told her that she was just a girl. She couldn't do much. No matter how much she trained, the boys would always be better than her. In this case, it was giant robots that hindered her.

Bumblebee placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have done –_bzzkt—_more than enough. –_bbzkt—_your bravery is—_bzzkt—_unmatched. Thank you." and with that, he turned into his Camaro form.

Brielle tried to hold back the stupid grin on her face. Even though Bumblebee did most of the work, for once in her life, she felt like she'd accomplished something. It was nice to get some positive feedback for a change. Brielle started up the bike and hit the road, followed by Bumblebee.

It was nearly 1:00 AM when Brielle reached her Aunt's house. Bumblebee waited a moment to make sure she was safe before leaving. Brielle turned to the yellow Camaro and waved goodbye. She wouldn't let him know that this tore her up inside. She discovered an alien robot and was watching it drive away out of her life.

"Ambrielle Denise Piper!" The loud, boisterous voice of her father came from behind, making Brielle roll her eyes. It looked like the sight of Brielle's six-foot-four; three hundred pound father was enough to make Bumblebee hit the gas pedal. Brielle giggled at the thought of an eighteen foot robot being scared away by her dad.

"You think this is funny? You stole your uncle's bike and left without a word! Where have you been? Who's in that car? What happened to your hair? Is that some boy in that car? What the—"

"No dad. I'm not Marie. There was no boy in that car." Quite literally.

Mr. Piper's teeth ground together. It was obvious where Brielle got her anger issues from.

"In the house. Now."

Brielle did as she was told. She took one last look at the long stretch of road. She finally got her adventure, but she feared it was the last time she'd ever see Bee.

It's funny how fate has a way to bring people together again.

In time, Brielle would believe in destiny.

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><p><strong>X X X<strong>

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><p><em>Thanks so much for reading! Please review. I'm always open to suggestions and feedback! It keeps me going to write more chapters. <em>


	2. Incredibly Brave, Incredibly Stupid

_If you want to know exactly what Brielle looks like, I added a link of her portrait to my user page._

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><p><strong>Incredibly Brave, Incredibly Stupid<strong>

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><p>After a long lecture, which was really just her dad yelling at her and her mom telling her she'll never get anywhere in life, Brielle retreated to the guest room.<p>

She put on a somber face for the entirety of her parent's rant. Usually, she would throw in her own comebacks and retorts, but she just wanted to be somewhere secluded as quickly as possible. Brielle closed the door and threw herself on the bed, taking out her phone and frantically searching for her recent pictures.

There he was: yellow armor, glowing blue optics, and two metal fingers forming a peace sign. Bumblebee the Autobot.

Brielle began to giggle idiotically. She jerked back and forth, acting like a young girl who'd just met her teen idol. As her brother Anthony would put it, she was "fangirling hardcore."

Brielle had woken up from many dreams that she wished were real. As fantastical as her dreams were, what she just experienced was a thousand times better than anything she could imagine because it was _real_. Life couldn't get any better than this.

Well, it could have. She could've gone with Bumblebee. Then again, she'd just get in the way. Common sense told her that there were more evil robots out there and she could easily be crushed, even by accident! Then again, she was able to help Bumblebee out tonight and that was good enough for her.

'_Don't kid yourself.'_

Every fiber in Brielle's being was telling her to _not _settle for that. She wanted desperately to go with Bee. She knew that she would probably slow him down, but she was selfish enough to overlook that. Brielle inhaled deeply and blew the air out of her mouth. "Too late either way."

* * *

><p>"Dad. <em>What <em>are you talking about? I was never with any boys like that—ugh!" Marie quickly made her way upstairs to avoid any more embarrassing accusations from her father. Ever since Brielle got home, there'd been a lot of shouting in Aunt Lynn's house. It was time to find out exactly what happened tonight.

Marie tiptoed down the hall. From the guest room that she and Brielle shared, she could hear spurts of giggles and then heavy sighs coming from her sister. _'Sounds like Brielle met someone. Someone special.'_ Marie thought. She'd bet her collection of old computer parts on it, for Brielle sounded exactly like Marie when she met that cute boy in Florida a year ago.

Marie placed her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. She saw Brielle lying on her back on her bed and looking at her phone. _'She could be texting him right now!' _

Marie dramatically entered the room and asked, "Alright, who is he?"

Brielle quickly tuck her phone under the pillows and gazed innocently at Marie. "Who's who?" she chimed, her voice as sweet as honey.

Marie was leaning against the door jam with her arms crossed. "Don't use my own tricks against me. Who is he? And why does dad think I'm running off with boys in the middle of the night?"

"Because you do."

Marie checked the hallway to make sure no one was eavesdropping and shut the door.

"Well no one's supposed to know!"

Brielle rolled her eyes. "Well if you don't want anyone to find out, stop interrogating me."

The position Brielle shifted to gave Marie a good look at her hair. Marie cringed with horror. "Oh dear Lord. My poor baby!" Marie all but sprinted to her sister's side and placed her hands on Brielle's shoulders. "What the hell were you doing tonight?" Before Brielle could open her mouth, Marie held up her hand and abruptly said, "No. Don't speak. I must fix this immediately."

From her side of the room, Marie pulled out a folding travel kit. In no time, she pulled a pair of salon quality scissors from the neatly organized kit. When Marie wasn't tampering with the school's mainframe, she was reading Vogue and keeping up with the latest fashion blogs. Marie's fashion savvy was the only reason Brielle trusted her with a pair of scissors.

Marie grabbed Brielle by the shoulders and directed her to sit down on the rolling desk chair. "Now hold still. You're getting layers whether you like it or not. Think beach waves. They're sexy."

And the snipping commenced.

* * *

><p>Brielle's body was as stiff as she could manage for Marie. It was a good thing Brielle trusted her sister with this sort of thing. By the feel of it, Marie was taking a lot off. Her waist length hair quickly transformed to just past shoulder length hair.<p>

Marie cleared her throat in an attempt to get her sister's attention. "So, what did you do while you were out?"

Brielle idly twiddled her thumbs while trying to come up with a decent excuse. "Oh, I just took the bike for a ride through the desert."

Brielle was a good liar, but not as good as her sister. She always felt horrible after telling even a little white lie. Marie, on the other hand, is a cutthroat bitch. She'll do just about anything to get her way.

"And you were so late _because_?" Marie prodded.

"I was a bit turned around. That's all."

Brielle heard Marie's curt 'hm' before she put the scissors on the desk. The darker brunette pulled some styling cream from her travel kit, squeezed a bit on her hands, and ran it through Brielle's hair. When she finished, she rolled Brielle to the full length mirror on the back of the door and asked, "Do you love it?"

Brielle's eyes widened. She was pleasantly surprised. "Wow. Yeah, I really do actually. You're good."

"And you're a liar."

Brielle's brow furrowed. "I'm not lying, I think it looks great."

Marie rolled her eyes. "No. About where you were. How the hell can you get turned around when you were on a straight road?"

Brielle tried to find words to appease her sister, but none came out.

Then Marie swiftly hurried to Brielle's bed and snatched her cell phone from under the pillows. Brielle was right behind her though and she pushed her sister down onto the bed while trying to grab her cell from Marie. "Jesus, Marie!"

* * *

><p>Marie knew that Brielle could incapacitate her very easily, so she needed to be quick. Luckily, the last image Brielle had on her phone was still up. Even though she had to wrestle with Brielle on the bed, her face managed to contort to a befuddled expression. "What's this? I thought BotCon was in June?"<p>

Brielle loosened her grip on her sister and sighed heavily. "Uh, yeah. I mean no. It wasn't like that. Just a, uh, y'know. Little attraction on the side of the road." Brielle sounded like she was struggling for words, but she pressed on, "and I took a picture because it looked cool."

Marie looked at her sister with a 'are-you-kidding-me' sort of look. "Why keep it so secret then?"

Brielle paused before responding. "Because they had computer stuff there, too. I thought you'd get mad if you found out I was there without you."

Marie seemed satisfied. She nonchalantly tossed the phone and Brielle quickly scooped it up. "You're so weird. Okay, I'm tired. Night." Marie said.

Brielle sighed, a serene smile on her face. "G'night, Marie."

* * *

><p>All was well for the remainder of the Piper excursion. No one questioned Brielle about her whereabouts on that fateful night. However, Marie started acting strangely the last week they were there. She'd been talking to that Glenn guy a lot more than usual and kept herself locked in the guest room most nights.<p>

After everyone said their goodbyes, the family was on the road and on their way home to Illinois. The car ride was relatively silent, mainly because the Piper children had their iPods on full blast. It wasn't until the car came to a ferocious halt did the teens realize what was going on.

"OH SHIT!" came Anthony's shout as a pair of massive mechanical beings came tumbling from the highway above.

Brielle staggered in her seat. She watched the scene play out before her: two robots having a death match on the highway.

'_Bee was right.'_

Brielle really hadn't "seen nothin' yet" as Bumblebee remarked. These guys were easily taller than Bee and the evil guy from before. Her eyes were glued to the battle sprawled out before her. Brielle unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled herself to the sunroof where she would have a better view of what was going on.

"Brielle! Back in the car now!" her father urged, tugging her arm and forcing her back in. Brielle defiantly pulled back and managed to break free of her father's grasp. She agilely pulled herself out of the car from the sunroof, leapt on the hood of the car, and landed just in front of it.

Her entire family was yelling, no, screaming at her to get back into the car. "Are you fucking stupid!" Marie shouted. Tears began to well up in her eyes at the thought of losing her sister.

Brielle ignored the pleading of her family. This wasn't just a coincidence that she was here staring at another pair of robots.

"Brielle look out!"

The girl hadn't paid attention to where the robots ended up. By the time she saw that the beige robot was tumbling straight towards her, it was too late.

Or so she thought.

"I got you."

A large metallic hand clamped around her waist and her body jerked to the side. The larger robot with the flaming paint job caught her in the nick of time. The massive robot pushed himself up just as the beige guy leapt for him. The red and blue robot shifted Brielle to his left hand and then used his right to give a striking blow to the alien's face, literally ripping it off.

With the evil robot out of the way, the massive alien directed his blue optics to Brielle. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and strangely secure.

Rather than answering his question, Brielle asked, "Are you an Autobot, too?"

The large robot's protective mouth cover folded back. His expression was that of surprise. With this guy's massive metal fingers around her, Brielle hoped this guy was on Bee's side.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."

Brielle's amusing expression widened to show even more awe. "T-thanks for the save." was her brilliant comeback.

It looked like Optimus was in a hurry, so he quickly set Brielle down and nodded before shifting into a truck and speeding off. Brielle waved goodbye like a dumbstruck moron.

"Ambrielle Denise!"

A pair of arms, this time human, clamped around her. It was her sister, Marie, with tears streaking her face. "What the hell! Do you want to die! What were those things? Jesus Brielle."

Brielle, although appreciative of her sister's concern, had the life crushed out of her by her grip. "I'm fine Marie."

Marie pulled Brielle back to the car where her family waited. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and whined, "If I wasn't so grateful that you're okay I'd be so pissed right now."

"Did that thing hurt you?" her dad asked.

"Why did it let you go?" added Anthony.

Brielle wasn't exactly sure how to answer. "Uh, he was a good guy." Brielle claimed. The family settled themselves back in their car. The military was there in no time to direct cars away from the wreckage and send them on their way.

Brielle tuned out the babbling mess coming from her family. She tried to make heads or tails of the entire situation, but didn't have enough information. She kicked the seat in frustration. Brielle hated being left in the dark. It was like when all your friends had a big secret and you were the only one left out.

It didn't take long for the Piper's to be on their way again. The entire time, everyone in the car was piecing together conspiracy theories about the newly discovered alien robots. All except Brielle and Marie.

Marie glanced suspiciously at Brielle from time to time. Brielle pretended not to notice her sister's dagger-like glares. To Brielle's dismay, it looked like Marie put the pieces together.

Normally, the family had to drive through Mission city in order to get home in the quickest time possible, but the roads leading to the city were blocked for "unexplained" reasons.

Mr. Piper was a stubborn man. He wouldn't take another route, especially when no one would tell him why he couldn't take his usual one. He parked the car on the side of the road and forced the family to bake in the Nevada heat until everything was cleared up.

"You really are an asshole, Bud." Mrs. Piper mumbled to her husband.

The kids knew what was about to happen. Before their parent's argument could get any more heated, they left the car for some fresh air.

Anthony stayed close to the car and called his girlfriend, explaining the giant robot death match to its entirety. Brielle wandered around as far away from the car as her parent's would permit. What she was trying to do was avoid Marie, but Brielle knew that was easier said than done.

"That wasn't a little side show you went to, was it?" Marie asked, arms crossed.

Brielle shut her eyes at tight as possible, momentarily escaping reality, before looking apologetically at her sister. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone what I saw."

Even with such an angry face, Marie's features still appeared angelic.

A long moment passed.

Suddenly, Marie's expression turned from accusing to excited in no time. "Oh my God. Oh. My. God. You met a freaking alien robot! Holy shi—you should have told me sooner!

Brielle was mystified by Marie's reaction. "Uh, I—Why are you okay with this?"

Marie rolled her eyes and rummaged through her designer handbag for a brief moment before pulling out a memory chip.

"This," Marie explained, "Is information given to me by Glenn. Y'know, the guy who lives with his grandma? Him." She looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot before continuing. "The other day, one of his friends came to his house. She used to be an analyst for the freaking NSA. Anyways, she gave him a copy of some kind of frequency. _Alien _in nature. He deciphered it mostly, but sent the rest to me to decode because the cops showed up."

Brielle thought Marie was just making fun of her now. "Bullshit."

"And . . . meeting a living breathing alien is more believable, right?"

Brielle sighed with defeat. "Continue."

"Whoever these guys are, they're ancient; older than the existence of our galaxy even. They have their own language, their own alphabet! I've been trying to decode it this whole time."

Brielle couldn't believe what this was hearing. Not only did Marie know about the aliens, but she knew _more _about them than Brielle. She was pissed. For once in her life, Brielle felt special, but that was taken away from her by perfect little Marie.

Marie's face contorted to one of fear and she quickly hid the memory chip in her purse. "Someone's coming."

Brielle didn't want to look suspicious, so she nonchalantly turned around and pretended she was on her way back to the car. A sleek black car pulled up to the side of the road, and then three more followed.

"C'mon Marie. Let's get back to the car." Brielle whispered. The two ambled to the car. Brielle was trying to listen to what the suits wanted. From what she picked up, it was just a routine examination to make sure everyone wasn't contaminated by radiation.

Brielle didn't buy it for a second.

When civilians asked where the radiation would come from, the suits didn't answer. "Classified" they would say. As if they all didn't notice the obvious robot brawl not too long ago.

The men carried with them a metal machine to detect "radiation" emanations. The thing didn't make a peep for the longest time. The man holding the machine took a step in Brielle's direction.

_Beep . . . beep . . . _

His eyes locked with Brielle's.

"Marie. Anthony. Get in the car, okay?"

The two did as Brielle said. The man slowly approached Brielle. As he got closer, the beeps from the machine quickened until it was just a perpetual high pitched screech.

"Excuse me, miss." The man began, his voice pleasant but urgent. "I'd like to ask you a few questions. Will you come with me?"

Brielle was uncertain about what she should do. On one hand, she could go with him and possibly learn more about the aliens. On the other hand, they could force her to tell them everything she knows and it could turn out ugly. A few more men in suits followed the other guy's lead until she was completely surrounded.

Brielle's parents finally ceased their arguing when they saw their daughter was in trouble. "What the hell are you jackasses doing?" her father yelled while getting out of the car. Brielle's mother followed suit and told Marie and Anthony to stay in the car. More men showed up and pushed Brielle's parents back. Mr. Piper, who was a big man, shoved past them and threatened to beat their asses if they touched his daughter.

"I'm sorry sir." the ring leader said. "Your daughter doesn't have much of a choice." He then muttered in his earpiece, "We have an Energon reading. Direct contact."

'_I don't have a choice.'_

Story of Brielle's life. She never had a choice. No matter how hard she fought or how vigorously she trained, she was always beaten by the boys. Like her dad said, she would never be good enough. Never as smart as Marie or as amiable as Anthony. She was the black sheep of the family. She couldn't do much of anything really.

Brielle's thought about what happened a few weeks ago. She helped Bumblebee defeat an evil robot.

"_You are the one that saved me."_

"_Your bravery is unmatched."_

Those words came from an advanced alien being, not her dad or her geometry teacher. Hell, even if the president of the United States told her that, it still wouldn't mean as much as it did coming from Bumblebee.

'_If Bumblebee thinks I'm brave, I must be brave. Or incredibly stupid.'_

Something was happening in Mission City. Brielle bet that Bumblebee was there as well as Optimus. She had to get there. She'd probably get killed, but her selfish desire to be a part of something bigger ruled over any rational thought.

"Time for my dumb luck to kick in."

Brielle punched the guy in front of her square in the gut, sending him back a few feet. That was when the rest of the suits took action. Two tried to grab her, but she ducked and with a swift swipe from Brielle's legs, the two fell backwards.

Brielle's parents began shouting at her, telling her to just do as they asked, but Brielle would have none of that.

Another wave of suits came. Brielle began to chant in her head.

'_Block, kick, duck, block, kick, jab, hit . . .'_

The suits began to fall one by one. One managed to grab her arms and pin them being her back, but a swift kick to the groin made the man loosen his grip.

A biker was sitting on his sleek crossover motorcycle about twenty feet away. Brielle sprinted towards the bike before more FBI guys could arrive. She shoved the man off the bike, making him face plant his sub sandwich. "I'm really sorry!" she shouted before taking off.

Brielle sped past the road blocks and onwards towards Mission City. She wasn't sure what she'd even find there, but she couldn't turn back now.

Brielle wasn't sure whether what she just did was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, but whatever you want to call it, it sealed her destiny.

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><p><strong> X X X<strong>

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><p><em>Thank you so much for the reviews! I appreciate them all. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it!<em>

_This video reminds me of how Brielle would fight when being attacked by the Sector 7 suits: http:(slash)(slash)youtu(dot)be(slash)pf45hmO_1ak (from 0:52 - 1:02 mostly)_

_Don't worry, you'll see more Autobot/Decepticon action in the next chapter!_


	3. Kickass

**Kickass**

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><p>The wind whipping against her face started to become painful the faster Brielle went. Finally, Mission city was in sight. Brielle's eyes widened at the destruction lay out before her. Buildings crumbled, civilians ran for their lives, and concrete was grounded to a fine powder. Her hunch about Bee being here had to be right.<p>

A police car drove up, seemingly out of nowhere, and turned on his siren and lights. Brielle clicked her tongue with aggravation. "I don't have time for this!"

The police car sped up until it was right next to her. _'This guy thinks he's funny, does he?' _she thought, growing more agitated by the second. Brielle began to yell over the sound of the wind. She knew she wouldn't be able to get her point across, but she tried anyway. "Look! I'm not stopping until I—"

Brielle glanced over to the police cruiser and realized that she could not make out the driver. A high pitched whimper escaped Brielle's mouth when she realized that she'd seen this police cruiser before.

It was time to pick up the pace. Her speed rapidly increased, but it was becoming more difficult to control the bike because of the incoming wreckage.

"Remember me, fleshling?"

The robot shifted out of his car form and skated across the concrete to catch up. Brielle started to panic now. It's sort of a different situation when you don't have a giant robot on your side.

Fortunately, Brielle made it into the city. Unfortunately, it became increasingly more difficult to dodge wreckage. She couldn't slow down because if she did, the police car from hell would kill her. If she continued on, she'd probably fall off the bike and break her neck.

Chancing a broken bone sounded more appealing than being ripped to shreds by the guy behind her. The bike's engine revved and Brielle pressed on into the city, Barricade never too far behind. Just up ahead of her was a blockade of sorts. By the looks of it, it was the US Army. A wave of relief crashed over Brielle; there was still hope!

Brielle began to yell to get the group's attention. With every shout, her voice became raw and painful. The mixture of smoke and shouting wasn't doing her any good. It looked like one of the men caught sight of her, or the raving lunatic behind her, because they aimed all of their guns in her direction.

One of the men signaled Brielle to hurry up, so she did as she was asked. When she was within twenty feet of the line of soldiers, she pulled the breaks. The wheels on the motorcycle skidded to a halt, sending Brielle over the front of the bike. She landed on the jagged road and skid a few feet before hitting her head on a loosened piece of concrete.

"Uuunnh . . ."

It was like a thousand needles pierced her back. She didn't realize that there was broken glass on the road until she felt it lodged inside her skin. Her inner legs seared with white hot pain. She was riding the motorcycle without jeans and the hot metal had burned her flesh. A warm liquid seeped from the small gash in her head. Brielle brought her hand up to it only to wince as the throbbing pain nearly consumed her.

Was this it? Did she make it this far to die? The pain Brielle felt made her want to retreat to the blackness that consumed her vision. What would Marie say if she knew Brielle wanted to give up? What would her parents say? At this point, Brielle couldn't care less about what they would think.

What would Bumblebee think?

Brielle heard the voice of a soldier approaching. He asked her if she could hear him and then slung one of her arms around his shoulder, hoisting her up. "W-what happened to—"

"He's still here. We need to get you behind the blockade." the soldier answered, referring to the demonic police cruiser. By the looks of it, the soldier's guns weren't doing any good. Once the soldier placed Brielle behind the blockade, he called for a medic. Brielle breathed heavily, groaning and trying to keep herself from passing out.

"Pathetic humans!" the robot taunted.

The malicious robot was quickly approaching the blockade, shrugging off the soldier's bullets like they were mere gnats.

Then it hit her.

"He's weak under the chest." Brielle mumbled. She peered over to see that the robot was damaged even more than when she'd last seen him. Perhaps he got into a tumble with someone his own size. If they could get him under his chest plates, he'd be done for.

Every atom in Brielle's body screamed at her to stay still, but she mentally told her atoms to shut the hell up. She was too busy to feel pain right now. She approached the soldier that brought her to safety and said, "Under the armor. Shoot under his chest plates."

The soldier raised an eyebrow. He looked at Brielle as if she was crazy. "Just lay back down there. Medics are coming—"

There was no time for bullshit! Brielle snatched a hand grenade from the soldier's belt and raced towards her motorcycle. If no one would listen, she'd have to do it herself. The motorcycle's engine roared to life and she drove straight towards the humanoid police cruiser.

"Foolish human!"

The robot snatched Brielle by the waist and held her to his optic level. His face was still scratched and his right optic damaged from the rock she threw.

"Such a tiny little human. So easy to rip your limbs from your body." he cooed, tightening his grip on her. Brielle howled in pain. The hand that held the grenade was trapped. She tried to wriggle it free, but to no avail. Her tugging became more frantic, for she knew that time was running out.

"You scratched my paint job. Who do you think you are, punk?"

If there was one thing Brielle hated, it was the condescending tone of those that thought they were better than you. Her jaw jutted out and her eyes narrowed. She began to shake her head. _'Alright, now I'm tired of your bullshit.'_

A loud grunt rose from Brielle's throat just before she kicked the robot's good optic. He jolted backwards in pain. The robot loosened his grip long enough for Brielle to free her arm and activate the grenade. The grenade was shoved between his two chest plates and Brielle glowered triumphantly at him. "I'm just a tiny little human that just kicked your ass."

The robot's optics widened in fear. He let go of Brielle and began to claw at his chest, trying to dig the grenade out. Brielle landed on her side. She tried to hoist herself up and take cover, but there wasn't enough time. She crouched down and clasped her hands behind her head. Brielle didn't dare look at the robot; she kept her eyes shut as tight as possible.

The grenade detonated.

Robot innards were sent flying in every direction. The alien screamed in pain for the last time. When the shrapnel stopped flying, Brielle dared look behind her. His glowing red optics slowly dimmed until the light diminished completely.

Silence.

Explosions and crashes could be heard in the distance, but where Brielle lay, it was all silence. The robot lay dead, the soldiers were dumbfounded, and Brielle was too. "That actually worked?"

A roar of applause came from the line of soldiers behind Miss Piper. The shouts and whistles of praise put a huge smile on Brielle's face. The teen managed to push herself up and she staggered towards the men. A makeshift ambulance appeared; consisting of a pickup truck with a stretcher in the back.

When Brielle melted in the midst of soldiers, they gave her hardy pats on the back which made Brielle wince painfully. Some said "good job, kid" while others muttered that she might be insane. Hey, she'd take that as a compliment too.

A sound from one of the soldier's radios suddenly crackled to life. "This is Captain Lennox. Enemy has been terminated. All clear."

"What?" Brielle asked, her voice raising a couple octaves. Uncle Jim introduced man named William Lennox to the family once. Jim said they were stationed in Qatar together, but Uncle Jim departed just before the mysterious attacks that supposedly left no survivors.

Sure, she'd only met Lennox once and very briefly, but a shiver still ran down her spine.

'_Coincidence?'_

"Alright kid, hop in." a soldier instructed. "We're going to rendezvous with Captain Lennox. Think you can hold on?"

Brielle sighed with annoyance. "Yes, I can hold on." her voice was filled with irritation. She hated being treated like an injured child. Well, she was actually injured, but that was beside the point.

As the truck drove through the destroyed streets, a medic managed to pluck out the bigger shards of glass from her back, rub cooling ointment on her burned legs, and disinfect her head injury. It stung like hell, but it was the good kind of sting. It was a well deserved sting.

"This'll need stitches."

The medic was referring to the tiny gash in her head. Brielle winced at the thought of a needle going through her skin. Then again, she had just gone through a hell of a lot worse. Maybe stitches wouldn't be so bad.

The truck drove in the middle of the street. They didn't have to worry about traffic, save for some upturned cars and concrete. The truck made a hard left and then stopped. The soldiers hopped out of the truck and the medic instructed Brielle to stay put.

"Seriously?"

The brunette wasn't far behind the soldiers, who were gathering in a group full of—

"Oh my God."

Not one, but three robots, Brielle assumed they were Autobots, towered over a small group of humans. The tallest of them all, Optimus Prime, held the severed body of another robot, possibly a fallen comrade.

Major William Lennox was the first to notice the green eyed teen. "Hey," he began, "Jones. What'd I tell you about bringing civilians near here?"

Brielle's heart sank. _'Guess he doesn't remember me.'_

A soldier, presumably Jones, responded, "Sir, she defeated a Decepticon on her own. She knew how to kill it."

That was when every pair of eyes gazed at Ambrielle.

The man next to Lennox, Brielle thought she heard them call him Epps, pumped his fist into the air.

"That is so kickass."

Brielle froze, looking like a dear in headlights. She didn't really appreciate the awkward attention she received. Brielle's expression became nonchalant. She twirled a few tresses of her hair and shrugged. "Trust me, he had it coming."

"Brielle!"

The almost familiar voice came from a very familiar face. Brielle just noticed that Bumblebee was present, but strapped to the back of a tow truck. For a moment, Brielle ignored all of the stares and only acknowledged big n' yellow.

"Bee! You can talk again?"

She walked closer to the group, but her movements became more sluggish and her vision began to get hazy.

"It . . . was the one from before. The police cruiser, remember?"

Bumblebee began to fiddle with the chains strapping him down. "Barricade? You . . . you took out-?" he sounded worried, almost horrified. Brielle grinned. He was starting to sound like her mother again.

Lennox's face contorted into a hilariously confused expression.

"Wait, Ambrielle Piper? Jim's niece?"

Brielle slowly nodded. _'And now he gets it.'_

"What are you _doing_ here?"

"Jesus, Bee! What happened to your legs?" Brielle asked, completely ignoring Lennox's query.

Bumblebee looked at his legs and then back to Brielle. "Not to worry. They are repairable." He said reassuringly. The girl could tell that Bee wasn't fully convinced. He looked at the greenish-yellow Autobot for reassurance. When that robot nodded, Bee looked back to Brielle and did the same, making her smile.

"Wait wait wait . . . wait. Am I missing something? Who _are_ you?"

The voice belonged to a boy around Brielle's age. He looked beaten up pretty badly. From his body to his clothes, there was a rip or cut somewhere. Then, a girl hopped out of the driver's side of the tow truck and began to loosen the chains for Bumblebee. When she finished, she joined the boy's side and her fingers laced with his.

Brielle was never one for tact. "Uh, excuse me? Who are _you_?" she asked with her arms crossed. If this boy wanted attitude, she'd give him attitude. The blue eyed female sighed. She mumbled to the boy, "Sam, calm down."

Bumblebee's processors whirred frantically. Although his legs were badly injured, he still managed to stand up.

This human female, Brielle, was the one that he encountered in the Nevada desert a few weeks back. Her presence here now convinced Bumblebee that perhaps they should never have parted ways that night. She had saved him before and by the sound of it, she singlehandedly destroyed Barricade.

'_Highly reckless! She could've gotten killed! Her injuries speak for themselves—'_

Bumblebee's processors whirred with concern for Brielle. He didn't know what made him act so protective towards her, it just happened. The Autobot was irked with himself that he hadn't finished Barricade the night he revealed himself to Sam and Mikaela. He would be more thorough next time.

"How do you know the kid's Camaro?" asked Technical Sergeant Epps. Brielle's eyes searched the ground for an answer. She seemed embarrassed; an emotion Bumblebee did not expect from the valiant organic.

"Sector Seven pursued me nearly four weeks ago. After I lost them, I encountered Brielle, or rather, she found me. Barricade assaulted us soon after. If it wasn't for her, I may not be here right now."

The more Bee used his voice, the raspier it became. He coughed a few times and brought his fingers to feel where his still damaged voice box was.

"Is that so?" Ratchet mused.

"Tough little fleshling." Added Ironhide.

Sam looked strangely upset. He just destroyed Megatron with the All Spark, yet the praise was given to a newcomer. Brielle mirrored Sam's animosity as soon as he opened his mouth. Bumblebee sighed. Humans could be so petty. Thankfully, Mikaela's physical forms of affection were able to subdue Sam's annoyance.

Bumblebee studied his leader, Optimus. His expression was not one of surprise. Perhaps he knew something about this girl that the others didn't.

Suddenly, Brielle's frame wavered from side to side. A quick scan revealed that Brielle suffered from serious dehydration and exhaustion. The beating sun didn't make matters better either. She was about to faint. Bumblebee scurried to her side as quickly as his injured legs could take him and he caught Brielle before she hit the ground.

Ironhide let out a small grunt and teased, "Maybe not _that _tough."

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><p><strong>X X X<strong>

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><p><em>I apologize for the short chapter. D:<em>

_Again, thanks for reading! I appreciate any review or favorite I get! :)_

_P.S. – I changed Lennox's rank to Captain because I realized he wasn't promoted to Major until ROTF. _


	4. Reunited

**Reunited**

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><p>Low murmurs pierced Brielle's wall of unconsciousness. She began to find her way out of the blackness that had taken her over when she fainted. The last thing she remembered was Mission City, defeating the police cruiser called Barricade, some annoying guy, and Bumblebee. Then, nothing.<p>

Sudden panic overtook Ambrielle and her eyes finally opened as a reflex. She quickly took in her surroundings. Brielle was lying on an uncomfortable bed in a small white room. Sitting along the farthest wall was Lennox and Epps. When they saw that Brielle was awake, they stood up and approached her.

"Don't worry, you're safe." Lennox assured. "We've met before, remember? And this is Sergeant Robert Epps."

"We're in a temporary base about ten miles from Mission City." Epps added.

Using her elbows, Brielle pushed herself to a sitting position. She yawned groggily and cracked her neck a few times; a habit she had when she woke up. Brielle examined her body briefly; her wounds were dressed with bandages. She skimmed her fingers lightly over the fresh set of stitches in her head. She was sore, but alright.

It didn't take long to notice that Brielle was no longer wearing her favorite tee shirt and jean shorts. In place was a patients' dress like what you wear in hospitals. Epps and Lennox backed away when they saw a mix of surprise, embarrassment, and anger play on the girl's face.

"Who the hell undressed me?"

Epps' eyes widened and he quickly raised both hands up signaling that he was innocent. It was funny because the man nearly looked afraid at the young girl's spurt of anger. Lennox began, "We had a medic dress your wounds, then the Autobots' CMO—"

"CMO?" Brielle questioned.

"Chief Medical Officer. Ratchet."

Brielle quickly raised her hand which told Lennox that she'd rather not know.

"Are there any spare clothes?" Brielle asked, changing the subject. Both Lennox and Epps shook their heads, making the girl sigh. Guess she'll have to walk around in a green patient dress for a while.

Lennox inhaled deeply before explaining the current situation. "Look, Brielle, since you know about the Autobots, some things in your life are going to change. It won't be entirely safe for you anymore, got me?"

Brielle took in what he had said and nodded slowly.

"Good. We're meeting with the Autobots and the Secretary of Defense soon. We think you should be there, too." Epps added.

The teen stared at Epps, then Lennox. She could barely process what they were telling her, but she nodded anyway.

"I can get out of this room now, yeah?" Brielle queried, but hopped out of bed before either could answer. After a few needed stretches, Brielle headed for the door. Lennox placed a hand on her shoulder before she left. "Meeting is in a half hour. Get some food in you before then."

Brielle smiled and nodded. "Will do, sir."

It didn't take long for Brielle to run into the two teens from before. It looked like the boy, Sam, had his wounds treated too. The girl standing next to him smiled and waved at Brielle. Brielle, taken back by her friendliness, waved back.

"Hey, Brielle right? I'm Mikaela." She chimed; a sweet smile on her face. "This is Sam." She gestured towards the boy with the somber expression. Mikaela rolled her eyes at Sam's standoffish countenance. "Anyways, we look like we wear about the same size, so I brought you a change of clothes." Mikaela said while handing her a plastic bag.

Brielle's eyes sparkled joyfully. "Wow! Thanks, Mikaela. You didn't have to."

Mikaela smiled and shrugged. "Least I could do after Sam gave you _such _a warm welcome the other day."

Sam grumbled a bit, but he was trying to lose his grouchy attitude and it was_ sort of _working.

Mikaela and Brielle looked at Sam for a long, awkward moment. It was Brielle who spoke first. "Well, if you're going to the meeting thing, your questions'll be answered." She was trying to shirk off her attitude towards Sam, but the boy made it difficult for her.

The brown eyed boy gazed suspiciously at Brielle, but eventually said, "Oh, they will be."

To others watching, and to Brielle, Sam's inflection and seriousness was very laughable. He wasn't trying to be funny on purpose; there was just a quirk he had that made almost everything he said comical in some way.

A grin graced Brielle's lips. "I'm going to grab something to eat. Thanks again for the clothes! See you two later." Brielle waved goodbye and wandered around until she found a decent place to change.

She felt so much better now that she ditched the hospital dress. Mikaela was right; the clothes were almost a perfect fit. Brielle admired herself in the mirror, something she did on very rare occasions. For being beat up and covered in bandages, she thought she looked damn good. Brielle wore a loose black racer-back tank top that had a white graphic design. Layered over that was an unbuttoned oxford shirt that had a pale blue and red plaid design. Her skinny jeans were ripped at the knees and the place ballet flats brought everything together.

'_I may never give this outfit back.' _Brielle mused as she grinned at herself in the mirror.

Finally, Brielle gathered her hair and quickly made a side braid and secured the end with a rubber band once she finished.

Now, it was time for food.

Honestly, food was the last thing on Brielle's mind. Although she knew she needed to eat, she was much more interested in finding Bumblebee. The entire situation she had put herself in was like a dream. She briefly thought of her family. They were probably worried sick about her. The thought was very brief and already out the girl's head.

"For Primus sake. The longer you squirm, the longer it takes!"

The voice came from a section of the warehouse-like building that Brielle was approaching. The girl stood on her tip toes and craned her neck to see if she could get a better look. She made out two large shadows that obviously weren't human. The other robot retorted with a series of quick clicks and beeps.

Brielle recognized those beeps anywhere.

"Finally awake I see."

Brielle's entire body flinched in surprise. She wasn't aware of the massive black Autobot behind her until he spoke.

"Easy now." he said as he fiddled with the cannon that was his right arm. The robot saw how Brielle gawked at his cannon. His face turned up to a wicked grin and he pointed his cannon directly at the human. "Unless you want to tussle?" he asked wryly.

Brielle was cautious of the big guy, but not afraid. If anything, she thought the mech's weapon was fascinating. "That's amazing. Do you have more than one?" Brielle asked. She was like a kid in a candy store now.

The black mech seemed pleased with her reaction. Finally, a human that appreciated his advanced weaponry! "More?" he snorted and then a second cannon emerged from his left arm. "There's much more where this came from—"

"Ironhide. Enough with the showing off."

The voice from before echoed from behind Brielle. She turned to see the yellow-green robot from before. The black mech, Ironhide, snorted and his cannons reverted back into his arms. "I just wanted to show her my cannons."

Brielle laughed. The short banter between the two mechs made Brielle realize that they weren't so different from humans. "Just wanted to check and see how Bee's doing."

Brielle made her way to the section where she knew Bee and the Chief Medical Officer, Ratchet, to be. Ironhide wasn't far behind her, but then easily passed Brielle in one easy stride. Brielle felt inclined to jog the rest of the way just to catch up.

Around the corner, in a temporary med room, Bumblebee sat impatiently as Ratchet mended his injured legs. The yellow mech heard Brielle approach and his optics lit up when he finally saw her. His radio clicked on and an oldie filled the room. "Reunited and it feels so good—"

Brielle threw her head back and laughed. After, she bobbed her head and finished the lyrics. "Reunited 'cuz we understood ~"

"Hold still slag it! I'm nearly finished." Ratchet grumbled.

Brielle giggled and took a seat on one of the folding chairs against the wall. She craned her neck to see exactly what Ratchet was doing to fix Bumblebee's legs. The CMO took some type of blowtorch device to Bumblebee's legs. Sparks began to fly which made Brielle wince for Bee, but it didn't seem to hurt the yellow mech.

After a moment, Ratchet glanced over to the human. "Brielle was it?"

Brielle affirmed the question with an "mmhm."

Ratchet turned back to his work. "Not many unarmed humans would have done what you did."

"Not many _armed _humans would've done what you did." Ironhide interjected. "That took some guts, as you humans say."

Brielle nodded appreciatively at Ironhide. "He had it coming. Trust me."

Ironhide snorted. He found this tiny human's tenacity amusing.

"Finished." Ratchet took a step back for Bumblebee to stand up.

Bumblebee tested his revived legs, gently building up pressure in one leg before resting the other one on the ground. Eventually, he bounced up from the lift he was sitting on and ran in place, playing upbeat jogging music as he did so.

Brielle applauded Bee and left her seat. "It's a miracle!" she teased.

Ratchet cleaned his hands with a massive strip of fabric and muttered something in a series of buzzes and sounds Brielle couldn't even describe. Her pharynx wouldn't be able to mimic those noises in a million years. Whatever it meant, Ironhide nodded at it, threw in a few odd noises of his own, and looked to Brielle again.

"This meeting with the humans is nearing. Bumblebee will show you the way when the time comes."

With that, Ratchet and Ironhide took their leave.

* * *

><p>Bee was grateful to have his legs back and he was even more grateful to see Brielle unharmed. However, what she did, although successful, was highly reckless. Bumblebee crossed his arms, tapping his foot expectantly. Brielle's shoulders sagged and she grinned sheepishly at the Autobot. She knew what was coming.<p>

It was odd, Bee thought. Bumblebee spent more time with Sam than Brielle, yet the girl read Bee better and quicker than expected.

"Y'gonna yell at me?" she asked, innocence lacing her voice.

Well, yes. Bee was going to explain to her why she absolutely should _not _have done what she did, but when those big green eyes gazed at Bee like little twinkling stars, he lost his nerve. His entire frame shrunk and he rubbed his head with his hand.

Finally he spoke, his real voice taking stage. "Brielle . . . Although what you did was valiant and exceptionally remarkable, the odds of you coming out of a similar situation again are slim to none."

The look in the organic's face was one of seriousness. "I know" she began, "And I'm sorry. I don't really know why I even—" she inhaled deeply and exhaled through her nose. "When the FBI said that Mission City was closed for 'unexplained' reasons, I knew better. I just went for it, y'know?"

The Autobot processed her words. He knew what it was like to just go for it; to tackle a situation head on without considering the repercussions. He knew all too well what it was like to be so close to death.

Bumblebee knelt down in front of Brielle and nodded. "Yes I do know, however; the heavy fighting should be done by the Autobots."

Brielle met Bee's gaze. "So you're a speciesist." Her voice laced with accusation.

Bee was taken aback by the charge. He gestured with his right hand as he spoke. "What? No! What I meant was that—"

Brielle's lips curled up in a smile and she chuckled at Bee's flustered state. "Relax, Bee. I'm kidding. I know what you're saying though. Human going against an advanced alien robot isn't the brightest idea."

Bumblebee's spark settled when he saw that Brielle was teasing. She was much more frank with Bee in certain aspects that he did not expect. While it was something Bee did not anticipate, it was something he enjoyed. Just another thing about this human that he found intruiging.

Brielle's weight shifted from either foot and she clasped her hands neatly behind her head. "Hey Bee? What were those sounds coming from Ironhide and Ratchet just now?"

Bumblebee was impressed with the girl's acuity. "It is our native tongue. You can call it Cybertronian."

Brielle's brow rose. "I don't even think Rosetta Stone would help. Italian is hard enough!"

Bee cocked his head to the side. He quickly researched the first reference, but the other remained a mystery. Brielle, suddenly realizing Bee had never met her family, explained. "Oh. My mom is second generation Italian. She tried teaching my brother and sister and me."

Bumblebee processed her words and his face plates rose with interest. He was aware of how family units worked, but the idea was still new to him. Bee's radio clicked on and Dean Martin's velvety voice sang, "Volare, oh oh oh—"

"Cantare, oh oh oh oh. How'd you know I love Dean?" Brielle chimed.

Bee crossed his arms and shrugged nonchalantly. "Lucky guess."

To Bee's delight, Brielle giggled. Unfortunately, it was time to head for the meeting. "Time to hit that 'ol dusty trail" Bee's radio informed.

Brielle snapped her fingers dramatically. "Darn. At least everything will be cleared up, yeah?"

Bumblebee wasn't able to give Brielle a straight answer. "Let's hope so." His lightly accented voice murmured. In order to get to the meeting in the most efficient amount of time, Bumblebee plucked Brielle from the ground and gingerly set her on his shoulder.

"Nice view." She muttered.

Bumblebee's chirps and clicks sounded like laughter. "Let's proceed."

* * *

><p>The short walk across the massive warehouse was relatively silent. Brielle absently hummed to herself and Bee internally scoured his radio frequencies to see if he could accompany her tune.<p>

The girl and mech were the last to arrive to the meeting. Once they passed a certain section of the warehouse, a firewall rose from behind them, locking them in. Brielle's pulse quickened, but Bumblebee whispered to her, "It's to block any interference. We're fine."

Bumblebee's reassurance calmed Brielle's heart palpitations.

The yellow mech carefully grasped Brielle's waist and gently set her down on the ground. For such a bulky creature, Bumblebee was surprisingly gentle.

'_An alien robot with more manners than most boys.'_

Brielle cautiously took a few steps ahead. In the center of the bland room was a long table where the humans sat. Around them were Ratchet, Ironhide, and Optimus. Ironically, it was the people at the table that made Brielle gawk. There was Sam and Mikaela, Lennox and Epps, and the Secretary of _freaking _Defense at the head of the table. Although Brielle was slightly star struck, that's not what shocked her the most.

Near the SOD was an attractive blonde woman and a heavy set man eating a plate of donuts. There was another female near the two strangers. Brielle nearly lost her balance when she recognized the female.

"Ambrielle, Bumblebee" said the Secretary of Defense, John Keller. "I was told you already met Sergeant Epps and Captain Lennox. You know Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots apparently." He then gestured to the three individuals to his right. "This is Maggie Madsen, an analyst and my advisor. This is Glen Whitmann, er, Maggie's advisor, and _this _is—"

"Oh. My. God."

The third individual was sitting back in her chair, but sat up when she heard Brielle speak. The brunette gazed coyly at Brielle with her emerald green eyes. After a moment everyone, including the Autobots, began looking from the stranger to Brielle. It was as if Brielle was looking in a mirror. Finally, the stranger spoke, her honeyed voice nearly identical to Brielle's.

"Miss me, my dear sister?"

* * *

><p><strong> X X X<strong>

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Feel free to review if you enjoyed the story or have any constructive criticism. <em>

_Again, I am grateful for any review, favorite, or watch I get! You're all awesome! :D_


	5. The Great Escape

_Sorry for the delay, I can be pretty slow sometimes. ;-; _

_Oh! Check out my page for more fanart of Brielle! (and this time Marie, too)._

* * *

><p><strong>The Great Escape<strong>

* * *

><p>"Oh. My. God.<em> Marie.<em>"

Brielle's voice was slow, urgent, and downright perplexed. If Mr. Keller wasn't present, she'd be stringing together colorful expletives for her dear twin.

"What the—"Glen's booming voice interjected. "You never told us you had a sister!"

"Identical twins." Lennox stated matter-of-factly. Although Will knew of Marie, he was still wondering how the hell she ended up here too.

Suddenly, Bumblebee's radio kicked on to a sickeningly sweet song. "Twins are in. Have you heard the word?"

"Knock it off, Bee." Brielle hissed through clenched teeth.

Mr. Keller cleared his throat for attention. "Perhaps we should begin. It seems like a lot of things need to be cleared up."

Brielle took a seat next to Mikaela, her glower never leaving her sister's deceitfully sweet eyes, and Bumblebee stood behind the three teens.

Mr. Keller continued. "Alright. Mission City has been cleared of civilians. The ones who've seen the Autobots are being taken care of by Sector Seven. It has been decided that the remains of Megatron and the Decepticons are to be disposed of in the deepest point of the Laurentian Abyss." He paused to make sure Optimus still agreed to the plan. When the massive mech nodded, he continued. "Sector Seven has been scheduled for decommission. Their treatment of what they call 'NBEs' was mediocre at best. "

"Now," Keller's attention turned specifically to Sam, Mikaela, and Brielle, "You three seem to be special cases." The three looked at each other, and then Sam and Brielle glanced at Bumblebee behind them. "From what I've discussed with Optimus, he seems to really trust you three. Because of that, so do I."

Brielle's brow knitted in confusion. Optimus and Brielle barely had a proper introduction, so why would he trust her?

As if the Prime was clairvoyant, he answered her question. "You have demonstrated vast amounts of courage for an alien race you know almost nothing about, Ambrielle. Bumblebee has confided in me that he deeply trusts you, and for that, you've gained my trust as well."

Brielle tried so hard to stifle the big smile on her face, but it was futile. Her cheeks felt red hot and a pink flush quickly formed. The brunette cleared her throat and nodded. Her voice was soft and filled with respect. "Thank you, Optimus."

Brielle couldn't help but throw a sideways glance at Sam. The kid was brooding hardcore and she relished every moment of it.

The Secretary of Defense carried on. "There are still Decepticons on our planet."

"And they have a knack for exacting revenge on our allies." Ironhide threw in.

"So we think it best to keep you three under Autobot protection. Bumblebee has decided to reside with Sam," Ratchet began, "And Mikaela's unit of residence is in close proximity to the boy's."

Brielle's heart sank. Bumblebee was to stay with _him_? She could feel the pompous stare from Sam. Brielle mentally reasoned with herself, _'Well, that's karma.' _

Keller spoke next. "Brielle, you live in—"

"Matteson, Illinois."

The room was silent.

"Heard of it? Anyone? Anyone?" she asked, her voice and face exaggerating disbelief. As quickly as she put on the dramatic act, her expression changed to one of mock sobriety.

"Not a surprise . . ." Marie muttered from across the table.

It was Optimus who spoke next. "With Autobot numbers at such a low, I cannot afford to have two members absent."

"Which is why your family must be relocated to Tranquility, Nevada."

Brielle's head tilted to the side, her jaw slack and her eyebrows furrowed. Marie rested her chin on laced fingers, her expression neutral.

Keller noted Brielle's expression and added, "Unless you have objections?" He then looked to both Brielle and her sister.

Brielle was surprised that her twin was okay with this. Marie was the one with the gaggle of friends, not her. In the back of her mind, Brielle knew something was up with Marie, she just couldn't figure out what.

"No objections here." Brielle chimed; a satisfied smile on her face.

"Me either." Marie added.

"Then that's settled."

Brielle thought for a moment. She'd completely forgotten about her parents. "Uh, sir? How is that going to be possible with our parents?"

Mr. Keller winked at Brielle. "It'll be taken care of."

Brielle's mouth parted to speak again, but she could think of nothing to say, so bit her lip instead.

Finally, Keller gestured to the three techies. "The alien frequency used to hack the national database was more than mere sound bites."

"There's an extraterrestrial character system embedded in the frequency." Maggie added, her Australian accent lacing each syllable. "I wasn't able to decode it, but Glen was."

Glen, about to grace his lips with another glazed donut, paused when he felt cold blue optics stare at him.

"You were able to decipher Cybertronian?" the urgent voice of Optimus inquired.

Glen's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He quickly nodded and stuttered "Y-y-yes? Is that a bad thing? 'Cuz if it is, Maggie did it!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. Glen would do absolutely anything to stay out of trouble.

"A _human _was able to do such a thing?" Ratchet's voice was thoughtful, slightly awe-stricken.

Marie sighed deeply and stood up, her palms flat on the table. "You sorely underestimate us humans. Not only was Glen able to decode your language, but I found something more." She ignored the dagger-filled glares from Glen and pulled a memory drive from her bag, wiggling it between her fingers. "Don't know how, but through your language, I was able to find information on you guys. Exoskeletons, Energon, weaponry—"

Optimus' optics brightened significantly, as did the optics of the rest of the Autobots. Although his demeanor was soft, the leader's voice rumbled like thunder. "You found _what?"_

Marie jumped at the sound of his voice. She kept a secure hold on her precious drive.

Optimus gave Marie a stern stare. "We think it best if our advances in weaponry were not shared."

Brielle only had to glance at the black Autobot Ironhide to understand. With weapons like those in human's hands, it would be World War III. At the same time, Brielle was disappointed. She frequented the shooting range with her Uncle Jim and the thought of shooting off a plasma cannon roused the teenage boy in her.

"Well I strongly disagree with that, sir." Marie chimed.

Finally, Mr. Keller put Marie in her place. "Well, _I_ think it would be up to the government, not you, Miss Piper."

Brielle couldn't help but smirk at Marie's face. She thought she was the queen of the world sometimes, and Brielle relished when her twin was knocked down a few notches.

Keller extended his hand towards Marie. "I also think it wise to keep such information in the hands of the United States government."

Marie eyed his hand suspiciously although she knew what he wanted. Reluctantly, she dropped the flash drive into his hand. Keller stuffed the drive into his pocket and proceeded. "Meeting adjourned. Kids, you'll be taken home soon. Just sit tight for a while, alright?"

Brielle all but flew out of her seat and stalked towards Marie.

* * *

><p>The congregation underwent as Bumblebee had previously suspected, minus the surprise from Brielle's sibling. Bumblebee did not realize that humans were able to produce Spark twins and no doubt Ratchet was itching to ask just how organics were able to produce monozygotic organisms.<p>

Just before the meeting ended, Optimus formed his own assembly over their com systems.

_:I did not anticipate the humans ability to hack into the frequency to that degree: _Optimus said.

Ironhide grunted. _:Just give me the word and I'll blast the information right out of their hands:_

Bumblebee could hear Prime's inward groan. _:Ironhide, for the last time-:_

_:Hey, got to keep our options open: _The weapons specialist teased.

The Autobots were only slightly relieved when the information was in the hands of Keller. When the meeting ended, Brielle was the first to fly out of her seat. Bumblebee's optics watched the entire scene: Brielle grabbed her sister's arm and practically dragged her out of the room.

Bee's audio scanners honed in on the twins. The rest of the humans had left the room and Ratchet, Ironhide, and Optimus were following Bee's example.

Brielle dragged Marie into an old office and shut the door. The first thing that came from Brielle's mouth was a string of human expletives.

Ratchet grunted to himself. :_I wasn't aware of how inventive humans were with vocabulary:_

After the girl's eruption, she took a deep breath and found her focus.

"What the hell, Marie? Why are you here? Where's mom, dad, and Anthony? Just . . . what the fuck?"

It was obvious that Brielle was as perplexed with her sister's presence as the rest of them. Marie sighed audibly.

"Glen dragged me into this. I thought it was all bullshit at first. Like seriously? Aliens? Yeah right. Then I actually cracked the frequency's code and—" Marie took a long, whimsical moment, "My God. It's amazing."

Brielle did not relent. "I'm sure it is, Marie, but it's not our business. If they don't want us knowing, then—"

"Don't you want to know more about them?" Marie asked.

Brielle paused for a moment. "Well, yeah, but—"

"But nothing. They can look up anything about us! Why can't we know a little about them?"

Bumblebee had to admit that her logic was sound, but it was for the best that the human's didn't know certain things about them. At least not yet.

"But the weapons." Brielle mentioned. "Just look at Ironhide—"

"Who?"

Ironhide growled. _:I don't like that one: _he grumbled, referring to Marie.

Bee's infrared scanners saw Brielle massaging the bridge of her nose now as she groaned, "The black one."

"Oh."

"It's kind of hard to miss his giant freaking cannons. Now, think of the track history of the U.S. and war. Just think. Now, add in advanced alien weaponry."

Marie grinned. "We'd be unstoppable!"

A loud _SMACK _was heard, followed by a yelp from Marie.

"You're a dumbass." Brielle uttered. "Since when do you care about guns and world history? You can't even tell one Autobot from another!"

It was obvious that Brielle was defending the Autobots. Even against her own flesh and blood, she was willing to sacrifice. It was a trait that the Autobots admired greatly.

There was a long, agonizing pause. Bumblebee's scanners picked up Marie's slowing heartbeat.

"Don't _you _like that stuff though? Sci-fi, guns, action, all that stuff?" Marie's voice was small, like a scolded child.

Brielle sounded taken aback. "Y-yeah. You don't though. So that's why I don't understand what you're trying to do."

Marie quickly interrupted, "It doesn't matter. I don't even have the flash drive anymore, remember?"

Brielle didn't push for more information. The Autobots heard Brielle's shoes tap against the concrete as she walked away. Then, Marie gasped dramatically.

"What happened to your head!" She practically screamed.

Brielle flinched at the sudden screech. "Sorry Marie, couldn't catch that. Maybe the freaking dolphins did though."

Bumblebee quickly scanned the internet and chuckled when he understood the reference.

Brielle continued, "I just got banged up. Decepticons are kind of assholes."

Marie shuddered. "One of those big guys did that to you?" Worry laced every syllable. Marie began examining her sister and lifting folds of fabric on her legs and arms to see the extent of the damage.

Brielle appreciated her sister's concern, but she was getting too touchy now. "Hey. Personal space. Ow!" Brielle hissed when Marie touched the burns on her legs.

Tears threatened to fall down Marie's face. "You . . . at Mission City. You could've died."

Exactly what Bumblebee tried to explain to Brielle! Maybe her twin will knock some sense into her.

"But I didn't." Brielle retorted.

Maybe not.

Will's voice sounded from another part of the warehouse. "Kids! We're moving out!"

Both Brielle and Marie turned their minty green eyes to the direction of Will's voice. Brielle sounded relieved, probably because Marie was distracted for the time being.

The Autobots knew that meant them too. They were all previously spoken to about what would happen next: Ironhide would accompany Will and Robert, Ratchet would take the twins, and Bumblebee would take Sam and Mikaela. Optimus was to stay with Keller for the time being to discuss their situation further.

Bumblebee was informed of the location of Brielle and her family unit's new dwelling. It was just three blocks away from Sam's home. Although there were still Decepticons afoot, Bumblebee was looking forward to the peace. He had been a 'Bot of war for so long that he feared it would slowly consume him. His processors filled with what a "normal" life for a human would entail. Certainly it was nothing compared to the normal life of an Autobot, but this was just another reason to be eager.

* * *

><p>It was early evening when Ratchet finally arrived at the Piper's new residence. Brielle thoroughly enjoyed the ride there because she had a chance to chat with the Chief Medical Officer. Ratchet asked questions about human culture and Brielle answered what she could, asking a few questions in turn. It was only when Marie fell asleep did Ratchet start answering questions about Cybertron.<p>

"Your parental units should be arriving shortly. They have been informed of the situation at hand. "

Brielle wondered how her family took the news. Surely Anthony thought the whole situation was badass, but her parents? Knowing them, they'd think it was a joke. Before they left the warehouse, Will informed Brielle of her and her sibling's new school.

It was all such a big change for her. Brielle grew up in the same house for seventeen years, and now she had to live hundreds of miles away from what she's always known. Her excitement was plentiful, but there's also a sliver of her heart that's unhappy.

Brielle looked at her new house with her head held high. This was like a new start for her; a clean slate. Who knows, maybe the kids at school were nicer. Well, Brielle didn't put too much faith into that, but she always carried a small piece of hope for anything.

The brunette exited the rescue vehicle's driver side door and patted the hood. "Thanks for the lift, Ratchet."

The CMO rumbled his engine softly. "My pleasure."

Brielle leaned her feminine frame against the side of the vehicle. She placed her elbow on Ratchet's hood and propped her head up with her hand. "Say, Ratchet. Will I ever see you again? I mean all of the Autobots?"

Ratchet chuckled warmly and then surprised Brielle with the gentility of his voice. "I'm sure you will, my dear. Bumblebee will be around too if you need him. Your Spark twin has the coordinates of Sam and Mikaela's residences."

Brielle noticed that Ratchet's tone altered to one of disdain when he mentioned her sister. She figured it was the way Marie presented herself earlier that day. The girl absentmindedly clicked her tongue at the thought of Marie's arrogant behavior in front of the Autobots, not to mention the Secretary of State.

Ambrielle gave Ratchet a hearty pat on the hood before trotting to her new home. "Good to know. See ya, Ratch—"

"Don't even think about it."

Ratchet opened the passenger's door where Marie was still sound asleep. Brielle rolled her eyes playfully. "Damn. Thought I could get rid of her."

Brielle made her way to Marie, gave her a swift flick to the forehead, and ran off before she could feel her twin's wrath. Marie awoke with a start, realized what Brielle did, and proceeded to chase after her. Ratchet chuckled as he left the Piper's residence.

'_Reminds me of another pair of twins I know.'_

* * *

><p>Brielle peeked out the front window to make sure Ratchet left without trouble. She could hear Marie scoff behind her. "I'm sure he'll get home okay, Brielle. If you couldn't tell, he's an alien robot."<p>

Brielle threw a sideways glance at her sister. "Doesn't hurt to double check."

Marie just couldn't understand Ambrielle. She's willing to throw herself at a twenty foot Decepticon and when she's the one bloodied, burned, and scarred, she'll fret over whether or not the Autobots are alright. Marie wanted to ask Brielle what exactly occurred the night she first met the yellow robot, er, Bumblebee, but she knew now wasn't the time. Their parents would be arriving soon.

Instead, the girls took a look around their new home. It was larger than their old house, and lo and behold, they wouldn't have to share rooms! This was certainly a treat for the twins, who have shared rooms for as long as they've lived.

Brielle made her way upstairs and Marie explored the downstairs. The one thing that was glaringly obvious about their home was that it was a great distance away from any other house. Brielle wondered if that was on purpose, just in case the 'Bots had to transform to their bipedal mode, or just coincidence. Either way, Brielle knew her dad would be happy. Now, he could have his family parties and no neighbors would complain that he's playing his Jimmy Buffet CDs too loud.

Speaking of parents, Brielle saw a familiar car pull into the driveway. As soon as it stopped, a honey haired young man flew from the back seat and into the house. Brielle, who was watching from a second story window, heard the front door open. A startled squeak came from Marie in the kitchen, prompting Anthony to laugh at his little sister's expense.

The next sound came from Brielle's parents. They walked through the door with less finesse then Anthony, but still with the same amount of awe. This was when Brielle realized that she hadn't seen her parents since she left for Mission city. The girl's heart filled to the brim with emotion. Sure, her parents weren't always the most supportive individuals, but they were her parents damnit and she loved them even if she didn't show it.

The younger twin nearly tripped over herself as she shuffled down the stairs, stopping on the very last step. She stared at her family with big doe eyes, unsure of her next move. Should she hug them? Run into their arms? Apologize for running off? Surely they were worried about her. Finally, her father spoke.

"You should run off more often. Maybe we'll get a bigger house next time."

"And better jobs." Her mother added.

Well, so much for the heartfelt reunion. Brielle chewed on the inside of her cheeks for a moment. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Finally, she stuttered, "Y-you know about the Autobots?"

Her mother quickly raised her hand, cutting Brielle off. "Oh for Pete's sake you know that much about them? No. No no no. I don't want to hear it." She proceeded to throw her hands in the air and tromp into the kitchen.

Brielle's father stared wide-eyed at Brielle and pressed his finger against his lip. "Don't talk about it. Pretend it never happened. Just act like . . . I got a big promotion."

So this is how her parents were coping with the news. If it worked for them, then it worked for Brielle. No further discussions about the Autobots then. Brielle decided to change the subject.

"So, where's our stuff?"

Her father answered, carefully examining his new home. "It's on its way. Should be here by tomorrow night if we're lucky."

"Because sleeping on hardwood floor is totally my idea of comfort." Marie groaned.

Anthony, always the snide one, stared at Marie soberly. "You can sleep outside like an animal. No one will care."

There was something about Anthony's delivery that always made their mother laugh. She could be heard practically choking on her laughter from the kitchen. Brielle chuckled too, but noticed her brother was snarkier than usual. For a boy that has to move far away from his girlfriend, that seemed normal.

"Hey, what about you and Liz?" Brielle asked, hardly one for tact around her family.

Anthony's neutral gaze locked with Brielle's inquisitive one. "Long distance."

A roar laughter came from their father. "Yeah, good luck with that, kid."

Brielle retreated to her self-proclaimed room before the men's not so witty banter could get any more heated.

* * *

><p><em>One week later . . .<em>

School started up in a month. The twins would be seniors and Anthony would be moving out of the house, something Brielle didn't think she'd get used to. Now, with their house freshly furnished, the Pipers were adapting to their new life. Mom and dad worked late at the office and Anthony worked at the local T-Mobile store selling phones. Mr. Piper always said that the girls should focus on their school work and not worry about a job. Of course Princess Marie was fine with it, but Brielle grew restless.

Now, Miss Piper jogged along the sidewalk, her iPod on full blast. She had been practicing her martial arts more than she used to due to her utter boredom. Although the occurrences of Mission City and the Autobots were never far from her thoughts, she tried to reason that she wouldn't be playing a big part along with them. The girl bit her lip. She knew what she wanted, but she also knew it wouldn't happen. She hadn't seen Sam, Mikaela, or Bumblebee the whole time she'd been out there. Unless a Decepticon decided to attack, it didn't look like anything spectacular would take hold of Brielle's life.

_At the Witwicky residence . . . _

"Bee, c'mon. Don't give me that look." Sam pleaded.

Bumblebee's blue optics glowered down at the boy menacingly. His arms were crossed and he looked downright pissed.

"It's nothing personal, okay? Mikaela and I are just going on a date. Wejust want to be alone for a bit, got me?" the boy reasoned.

It wasn't the date part that upset Bumblebee. The pair could go on as many dates as they wished, but Bumblebee was getting sick and tired of spending his days in a small wooden garage. It wouldn't be so bad if Sam was taking Bee to pick up Mikaela, but the two decided they wanted some real privacy for once.

A honk came from the driveway. Sam gave Bee a quick pat on the leg. "It's just this one time. You can drive us on another date, okay? Don't be mad." Then the boy darted off to meet his mate. Bumblebee did not speak, but the sounds and whirrs emanating from him had a striking resemblance to the phrase 'this is bullshit!'

Sam and Mikaela were gone as well as the parents. The only living organisms in the house were Sam's goldfish and Mojo, the family's Chihuahua. Bumblebee was cooped up in the garage like always. When Sam's mom and dad were fully informed of the changes that would occur, one of them being the eighteen foot alien body guard, Mrs. Witwicky ordered Bumblebee to stay in the garage if Sam wasn't home. The Autobot was starting to regret his decision of a peaceful life with Sam.

Suddenly, the yellow mech began to scheme. Bumblebee was all alone. No one was there to watch him leave the garage and take off down the road . . . He could always use his holoform if somebody spotted him.

'_No. That would be disobeying Judy Witwicky and it is my duty to . . . slag it I'm going.'_

Yellow plates began to expand and shift until they clicked together to form Bee's Camaro form. He revved his engine and zippd out of the garage.

* * *

><p>Brielle walked a good three blocks before realizing she hadn't been this far away from home the whole week she'd been here. The neighborhood was relatively peaceful; children played with sprinklers as their parents supervised them, dogs ran around playing fetch with their owners, this seemed like an all around pleasant neighborhood.<p>

Then there were the neighborhood boys.

"Hey there, pretty girl. You new around here?" A young man asked, attempting to be suave. To Brielle, the guy looked like he had one too many visits to the gym. She rolled her eyes and continued her jog. To her dismay, the boy began jogging beside her.

"The name's Trent. Trent DeMarco."

Brielle huffed. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant look off his face, but she tried to be nice for the sake of her newly wiped slate.

She did not give the guy a second glance. "Brielle Piper." She said starting straight ahead of her.

Brielle's two words gave Trent the ego boost he didn't need. "Say, you got a rockin' body, little bunny. How about we—"

'_Little WHAT?'_

Brielle skidded to a halt and Trent did the same. Thinking he was getting lucky, the beefy boy moved closer to Brielle and in turn, Brielle pinched the pressure point located on his neck, making the boy cringe.

"Look here, little boy. You will _not_ talk to me that way. If you ever want a girlfriend, you will talk to no girl that way. Got it?" She then got up close and personal. "And if you ever call me 'little bunny' again, I will find your house, steal your precious steroids, and burn them."

That last statement is what made Trent run. Brielle grinned to herself. Screw clean slates, she wasn't going to take crap from chauvinistic pigs like that. As if the situation never happened, Brielle continued her jog with a pleasant smile on her face.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Bumblebee to realize that he really didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't drive to his full capabilities because he was in a neighborhood full of humans. His processors whirred as he thought of something interesting he could do that wouldn't draw too much attention. Then, a certain green eyed female caught his processors. He had failed to make regular rounds around Brielle's new residence due to Sam and his mother. Primus, he was being treated more like a pet and less like a friend.<p>

A hulking figure came running down the sidewalk like a scolded child. Bee recognized the teenager as Trent DeMarco, Mikaela's former Spark mate. Up ahead on the sidewalk was a familiar figure he hadn't seen in a week! The human saying, 'speak of the devil' would be most appropriate right now.

Bumblebee sped up so his speed was in tandem with Brielle's. With so many humans around, he wasn't sure how to get her attention. Bee's processors whirred when he came up with a solution. Bumblebee quickly searched the internet for millions of images of males, putting together a figure he thought most suitable for himself. The holomatter took form in the driver's seat; a young man with honey blond hair and deep blue eyes. Bumblebee rolled down his windows and waved over Brielle.

"Hey! Brielle! It's—"

Brielle glanced over at the man in the Camaro and scoffed. She began jogging faster.

Bumblebee looked as dejected as a kicked puppy. He sped up next to her once more. "Brielle! What are you—"

"Jesus. How many muscle heads live in Tranquility? I already sent Trent in the opposite direction."

Primus! Brielle didn't recognize him. As Bee recalled, Brielle remembered him as an older modeled Camaro and she wasn't even aware of the existence holoforms.

"Perhaps if you got into the car for a moment, I could—"

Brielle chuckled. "I'm not falling for any of that, good sir. No matter how sexy your car is."

Bee's engine revved playfully. "You think I'm sexy, do you?"

Brielle scoffed. "I said your car, not you —"

Finally Brielle stopped. She pulled the ear buds from her ears and inspected the car. Her eyes finally met the striking blue eyes of the young man's. His figure sat casually in the driver's seat . . .

and then flickered.

"Jesus, Bee!" Brielle said exasperatedly as she quickly jumped in the passenger's seat. "You look different! Newer."

"Sexier." Bee teased.

Brielle rolled her eyes and grinned lightheartedly. "Oh hush now." Brielle scrutinized the 'human' next to her. As she did so, the young man gave her a big smile. Finally, she jabbed him in the shoulder with her finger.

The girl jumped. She didn't expect the hologram to be solid! "How the hell does that even work?" Brielle asked in amazement.

"Holomatter. We can project facsimiles of species that are too fleshy for us to mimic otherwise." Bee explained.

Brielle pursed her lips and nodded her head. She was genuinely amazed at such a feat that is like second nature to the Autobots. Suddenly, Brielle realized that it had been an entire week since she last saw Bumblebee or any 'Bot for that matter.

"Hey wait! I'm supposed to be mad at you." Brielle said while crossing her arms.

The holoform's brow furrowed. He was positively crestfallen. "What did I do?"

Brielle paused a moment. Now that she thought it over, it was really rather petty. She guessed that Bee was fairly busy keeping the Decepticons away and consulting with Optimus. Instead of making it a serious issue, she put on an obviously facetious pout and said, "You haven't stopped by to say hi."

Suddenly, the Camaro's windows rolled up and the holoform disappeared. In seconds, the engine roared to life and sped down the neighborhood street. Brielle, worried that she upset Bumblebee, held on for dear life. "Hey hey! I wasn't serious! I'm sure you've been busy."

Bumblebee now felt guilty for his outburst. Brielle's rise in heartbeat signified that he had startled her. He should have been able to at least patrol around Brielle's residence every so often, but the Witwickys made that difficult for him. Bee's engine sighed miserably.

"Forgive me."

Brielle's vitals simmered down as soon as Bee calmed himself. It was obvious to Brielle that she struck a nerve, but the girl wasn't sure if she should pursue any further. She would try, for the sake of being a friend.

"Want to talk about it?"

The sincerity in the human's voice surprised Bumblebee. He was never really one to pour out his problems onto another, but there was just something about Brielle's voice. She didn't sound like she was curious to know, she genuinely sounded concerned for the Autobot. Bee mentally chuckled.

'_Such fragile creatures worried for ones much stronger than they.'_

It was an interesting trait he found in few humans, particularly Brielle. He decided to tell Brielle the reason of his absence and the treatment he's received at the Witwicky residence. Brielle bit her lip, her face scrunched up with concern.

"Aw, poor baby." She softly murmured and patted his dashboard.

Bee paused. "Did you just refer to me as an infant?" Being the Autobot with the most savvy about human culture, he knew that Brielle used the word as a term of endearment, but he enjoyed messing with Brielle.

The girl stared blankly for a moment, analyzing what she just said. "Uh. Yes. Because you're . . . the youngest of the Autobots . . . and . . . I knew that."

"You're lying."

"Through my teeth." Brielle added.

The two laughed heartily. "You're correct though. I am the youngest."

Brielle was proud of her own 'epicness,' as she mentally called it. Her thoughts began to churn through questions to ask him. "How old are you exactly?"

Bumblebee paused again. He was fine with sharing such information with the girl, but too much at one time could be bad. Suddenly, her attention reverted to their previous conversation.

"That's not important. I can't believe they would treat you like that, Bee. I say you should get out more. That's what I do when I need to get away. I go as far as I can and just think."

Bumblebee relished the thought. He'd love to get away on a wide open stretch of road. It'd be even more enjoyable if he had company. "Want to go now?" He sounded as excited as a kid at Christmas.

Brielle was taken aback by his sudden excitement. "Uh well sure I don't— WOAH!" The brunette was pushed back in her seat when Bee took off even faster than before. She laughed at her own scared expression and then hollered with approval.

The yellow mech's radio roared to life and the music flowed through the car.

_Throw it away . . ._

_forget yesterday!_

_We'll make the great escape!_

_We won't hear a word they say . . ._

_They don't know us anyway._

The two didn't know exactly where they were headed, but they were both sure of one thing: they would be spending a lot more time together.

* * *

><p><strong> X X X<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Again, thanks for reading! Please review if you wish. I appreciate any feedback I get. :)<em>

_Song is called "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls. _


	6. Be a Bumblebee

**Be A Bumblebee**

* * *

><p>"What's this one mean?" She queried, pointing to a string of strange symbols carved into the sand.<p>

"Warrior." He answered, his blue optics never leaving her fascinated expression.

It had been a little over a week since Bumblebee and Brielle took off that day. Just as Brielle suggested, Bee was getting out more, much to Mrs. Witwicky's dismay (there's a psychotic alien living in my garage!). Since Brielle and Bumblebee weren't familiar with Nevada's ecosystem, everyday was an adventure for both of them. Sometimes they would watch the sun set together and when they did, they would share stories about themselves. Unfortunately, Bee's voice box has been regressing (so he claims), so he saved his voice solely for conversations with Brielle.

Today was her first lesson in Cybertronian alphabet 101. Although the symbols were wonky and difficult to memorize, their alphabet system was much like the English alphabet: twenty-six characters that were put together to form words. Now, the pronunciation of the words in Cybertronian was an entirely different story. Brielle preferred listening to Bee prate about in his native tongue rather than attempt it herself.

The girl softly repeated the mech as she tried to commit the symbols that formed the word to memory. She lay on her stomach with her hands propping up her head and her legs kicking back and forth. Bumblebee, sitting next to her, carefully examined her face as her lips formed the syllables: "war-ee-or." No crinkles of confusion formed on her brow as she studied the Cybertronian. Brielle's expression was 'serene,' as Bee had come to understand.

The scout found human features positively fascinating. The protective organ encasing a human's muscles and vitals—the skin—stretched in ways the mech never thought possible. It was simple to analyze the creases in a human's face and deduce their current emotion, although it could be much more complicated than that. Sometimes Brielle caught Bee staring and he coughed embarrassedly.

After a comfortable silence Bee murmured, "Reminds me of you."

Brielle's brow furrowed at the simple phrase. She turned on her side to face the mech and asked, "Why?"

As Bee spoke, he began to wipe away the symbols he had written and began writing new ones. "You show no fear when entering battle. Swift, clever, fearless. A warrior. Although I wish you wouldn't jump head first into battle." Bee mumbled the last part.

Brielle snorted. She never thought herself to be a warrior, just lucky. "Yeah, I'm fearless alright." She commented sarcastically.

Bee finished writing in the sand and said, "Humans have another word for people like you."

The organic examined the five-lettered word inscribed in the sand. Only one letter was recognizable to her, so she looked to Bee with a defeated expression.

"Crazy."

Brielle glowered playfully at the mech and the two dissolved into laughter.

* * *

><p>Once she made sure everyone was out of the house, Marie locked herself in her room. Ever since Brielle started hanging out with the Autobot Bumblebee, her presence was scarce. Anthony quickly made new friends and played football with them almost every day, and Marie thanked God her parents had time-consuming jobs. It was finally time to get down to business.<p>

The dark haired girl rushed to her closet and reached up to the highest shelf. On her tiptoes, she managed to grab a box full of old magazines. Once she set the box down on her bed, she rummaged through it until she held a small flash drive in her hand.

'_As if I wouldn't make a backup.' _She thought to herself.

Glen and Maggie had the privilege of staying to work with the Autobots. Since Marie was still in high school, she didn't have the opportunity (or maybe it was her attitude). She was going to inform Brielle of the possibility of working with the Autobots, but Marie knew her sister would insist on something combat related, something that could get her killed.

Now, it was time for Marie to do some digging. She felt that there was more to these aliens than they were letting on, and she loathed it when she didn't know every little detail. Brielle called it being nosy, Marie called it being thorough.

The girl stuck the drive into the side of her laptop and went to work. She dug through the alien frequency and recorded her findings in a pink notebook. Admittedly, most of the information was too difficult (too alien) for her to comprehend. She found a bit of information on the All Spark: a large, metallic cube with the power to create life. From what she understood, it was possible to resurrect an 'offlined' Cybertronian. Marie jotted down the information rapidly. On the side margin, she absentmindedly began doodling a picture of an Autobot. Marie sighed when she saw her half-assed sketch of the Autobot Jazz.

Before the meeting at the temporary base a couple weeks ago, Marie managed to overhear the Autobots discussing their fallen lieutenant.

"You can't let the humans dump him in the sea with Megatron!" one of them growled, his cannons whirring excitedly.

The other spoke much calmer, more diplomatic. "It would be a great dishonor to our first lieutenant."

The next spoke in a series of chirps and whirrs that his comrades seemed to understand.

Finally, the leader spoke. "We will not allow Jazz's remains to rest with Megatron's. First, we will reassemble his body, and then bury him properly."

Marie knew she acted catty towards the Autobots, but it was only self defense. She didn't appreciate being talked down to like a primitive ape just like Brielle doesn't like being talked down to by their father. Marie hatched an outlandish plan. If this All Spark could give life, and if they had a shard of the Spark left, maybe they could resurrect their fallen friend. It was a stretch, but it just might work. Brielle really seemed to like the Autobots, especially Bumblebee. If Marie suggested her idea to them, maybe their hostility towards her would lessen. For Brielle's sake, she would make this work.

Marie searched deeper into the code. Her minty green eyes locked in on a specific signal within the jumble of alien text. She knew that the Decepticon who created this frequency was offlined, but its master wasn't . . .

"Soundwave?"

Information on this specific mech appeared on her computer screen. There wasn't much at first, just his name and affiliation (Decepticreeps !). Then, Marie began to dig deeper . . .

_Somewhere near the Earth's atmosphere . . . _

The big brute of a mech honed in on a frequency, _his _frequency. He locked in on the location in Tranquility, Nevada. Whatever this organic femme was doing, it could be a future threat to the Decepticons. Thinking it would be illogical for himself to handle the situation, as he was ordered to scan the Earth's atmosphere until the shard of the All Spark was found, Soundwave sent fourth one of his many infiltrators to take care of the meddling femme.

"Do not provoke unneeded attention, Rumble."

If Soundwave heard Rumble's sarcastic snort before he was launched into Earth's atmosphere, he did not acknowledge it.

* * *

><p>Acting was not Brielle's forte. That was the third disapproving stare she got for not keeping her eyes on the road and her hands on the steering wheel. The girl sunk back lower in her seat as she tried to mimic driving 'her' Camaro. Before departing the desert, Bee said that he wanted to take her somewhere he thought she'd like. That was all he would disclose and Brielle being the curious girl that she was couldn't resist.<p>

The girl thought it wise to roll up the tinted windows. "So much for fresh air." She muttered. Once she knew no one could see her, Brielle pulled out her notebook from her bag and began to write small words in Cybertronian, well, from what she could remember at least. Most of what she wrote was just a myriad of invented symbols, but there was one word she wrote always wrote correctly without fail: warrior. Brielle felt embarrassed when Bumblebee compared her to a warrior. She was hardly a black belt much less a lean, mean fighting machine.

Miss Piper muttered idly to herself as she put together newly created symbols in an attempt to recreate the Cybertronian alphabet. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Bee's holoform sitting in the passenger's seat, watching her intently. Eventually Brielle felt that there was something different in the atmosphere of the Camaro. Her eyes slowly rose to meet the electric blue eyes of the holoform beside her. Brielle jumped back in surprise and Bumblebee chuckled amusedly.

"Perhaps I should drive." He said, a half grin playing on the holoform's lips.

Brielle shoved her notebook and pen back in her bag and said, "But you already are-?"

The holoform ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair. "I drive using my holoform and you're free to not pay attention to the road. Not that you weren't already doing that, but it would detract attention from us and you get to have the windows open."

Brielle waved her hand passively. "Don't do that on account of me. And I think you'd attract attention with your holoform alone."

Bee furrowed his brows. "Is this one malfunctioning? Because I can alter it—"

"No, it's not that." Brielle interrupted. A silly grin tugged at her lips and she covered her mouth with a delicate hand in an attempt to stifle her laugh.

Bee's radio cut on and a dramatic voice shouted, "Out with it, woman!"

The organic threw her head back and laughed. She honestly could not believe that the mech didn't know what she was getting at. Brielle was never one to beat around the bush, so she nonchalantly stated, "Your holoform is considered very, _very _attractive to the opposite sex. "

Bumblebee paused a moment. His holoform examined itself curiously and Brielle dissolved into a fit of giggles. When Bumblebee still looked like a lost puppy, Brielle thought it best to show him what she meant. She took hold of one of his arms and then used her fingers to contour his muscles. "Honestly, you look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model."

Like a child, Bee began contouring his human arms too. The feeling of his own skin startled him and his eyes widened in amazement. After, he searched the web for Abercrombie and Fitch models. Now he understood what Brielle meant. His holoform was considered physically fit and according to recent polls on a teen magazine website for femmes, blond hair and blue eyes is considered 'sexy' as the humans say.

"Oh." Was Bumblebee's brilliant response. In the few seconds that he used to research this, Brielle was looking at his face fixedly, still having a hold of his arm. The warmth from Brielle's hand along with her soft skin fascinated the mech.

Brielle noticed the look in Bee's eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Bee's holoform shook his head as if to shake away the haze over his processors. However, his sudden curiosity would not waver. He took his larger hands and grasped one of Brielle's hands. "Do you mind if I-?" He did not finish his question. He didn't need to. Although Brielle looked skeptical, she nodded her head in agreement.

The holoform looked slightly embarrassed. He thought an explanation would relieve Brielle of her skepticism. "A human's sense of touch is much different than an Autobot's. Human skin is so sensitive to touch and temperature."

Brielle's body relaxed. She just now noticed Bee's voice faintly hinted at a British accent. "I bet it's weird seeing me at eye-level like this."

Bee nodded vigorously while turning her hand around in his palm. "I feel so short."

The femme snorted lightly. "Still taller than me." Suddenly, a glint shone in Brielle's eyes. She had a silly idea that involved messing with her robotic friend. Suddenly her eyes grew wide and she took on a look of complete seriousness. "Did you know that if your hand is larger than your face, you have cancer?"

Oh yeah, she was going there.

Bee raised a brow. "Surely that isn't accurate."

Brielle retracted her hand from Bumblebee, aghast at his ignorance. "Is too!"

Never had Bumblebee heard of such a primitive way to evaluate the possibility of a disease. He raised his right hand to his face to see just what Brielle was getting at. "Surely Ratchet would have heard of such a—"

_SMACK!_

Brielle laughed until she cried. She pushed Bee's hand right into his face and a red mark began to form. "You should—haha- definitely brush up on human pranks—hehehe- Bee." The organic said between exasperated breaths. The mech couldn't believe that he was so gullible. He couldn't help but chuckle at his own naïveté.

The car suddenly halted. Bee's holoform disappeared and his voice now came through the radio. "Is that a way to treat the mech who's about to surprise you?"

Brielle's eyes widened like a frightened child's. She'd completely forgotten about this surprise Bee had for her. Although she knew he was just mocking seriousness, she didn't want to jeopardize her surprise.

The crestfallen look on Brielle's face was payback enough. For now. He chuckled once more before his radio clicked on. "To the left, to the left . . ."

Brielle's head automatically turned to the aforementioned direction and she spotted what looked like an old shop called 'Wilson's Wildlife.' In the windows of the shop were a multitude of exotic and domesticated animals in the form of posters, paintings, dolls, jewelry, and much more.

"I noticed that you take interest in wildlife, so I assumed you would enjoy this shop." The Autobot explained.

Brielle's smiled with delight. "It looks so cool, Bee!" She said while getting out of the car. Ambrielle gave the Camaro the best hug she could muster. "Thank you thank you _thank you_!"

It took a moment for Brielle to realize the peculiar stares she got from passersbys. She coughed embarrassedly and gave the top of the car a quick pat before scurrying to the shop.

Brielle thought she'd died and gone to heaven. The inside of the shop was like the inside of a large tree. The walls were wooden and gnarled and clever decorations made you think you'd been transported to a fantastical land. Not only were there animals, but mythical creatures too. Brielle might be here a while.

After picking up a stuffed Chimera doll and a book all about Servals, a shiny pair of yellow and black earrings caught her attention. Upon closer inspection, Brielle saw that the little yellow studs were in fact little bumblebees. Tiny gleaming crystals covered the entirety of the studs. Just behind the earring stand was a poster with a painted Bumblebee on it. Under the picture it read:

_Bumblebees are not designed to fly._

_Its body is too heavy for its large wings,_

_wings that should not be able to keep it in the air._

_Bumblebees refuse to accept their limitations._

_It flies in spite of what it has been told it cannot do._

_It knows its strength._

_Be a bumblebee._

Brielle smiled to herself. 'Be a bumblebee.' Her thoughts lingered on her friend waiting outside. Although he acted as guardian over Samuel Witwicky, Bee had more or less taken Brielle under his wing too. She was thankful to have him in her life. Without a second thought, Brielle plucked the poster and earrings from their places and headed for the cash register.

Although she had her purchases ready to go in a plastic bag, Brielle lingered a bit more when a photography book on Madagascar's wildlife caught her eye. She flicked through the pages until a group of teens surrounding Bumblebee caught her attention. They looked harmless enough. Just three guys and two girls checking out a fancy Camaro. It alarm her until Brielle recognized one of the males.

The girl rushed out of the little store and sped towards the teens crowding around Bee. She mentally gave herself a once over and then confidently strutted towards the teens. It was very important for her to act smooth as silk, especially because _he _was there.

The boy she recognized wasn't anything special. He stood at a whopping five-foot-one and was a little on the heavy side. Even Brielle, standing at a mere five-foot-five, loomed over the pipsqueak like a Sequoia. His chocolate brown hair and hazy gray eyes popped out against his pale complexion. Although most would mistake him as a grade-schooler, the boy was really the same age as Brielle.

After a long moment of the boy examining, no, _worshipping _the Camaro, their eyes locked. The whole gang of teens followed suit soon after. Brielle definitely felt small with five pairs of eyes on her, but she had to keep her cool, confident countenance.

"Brielle?" the small fry piped up. The guy looked like he'd just saw a ghost the way he reacted to her.

Brielle pursed her lips. '_Alright, Brielle. Time to channel your inner Marie.'_

Brielle tossed her hair back with a flick of her head and lifted her chin haughtily. "So, this is where you moved to, Chris." She said, raising a brow. She motioned to the yellow vehicle they were congregating around and asked, "Mind telling me why you're stalking my car?"

One of the boys whistled. "This your ride, pretty girl?" The blonde and ginger girl crossed their arms defensively at the raven haired boy's comment. The one who seemed the most surprised was Chris. In fact, he didn't even bother hiding his utter shock from her.

"Why are you in Tranquility?"

Brielle boldly swaggered to the driver's side and waited a moment for Bee to open the door for her. Although she looked the picture of perfection on the outside, her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. Bee aptly took notice and immediately felt concerned. Her readings weren't even this high when they first encountered Barricade. The twin tossed her bag into the car and said, "Dad got promoted."

With a snooty nod and a sly smirk, Brielle entered the car and drove off, leaving the star-struck teens in the dust.

Once out of sight, Brielle inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if that situation was enough to make her hyperventilate. "Oh God, why does _he _live here? Jesus! Damn it! Of all the freaking places-"

Bumblebee couldn't stay silent any longer. "_Who _was that, Brielle? What's the matter?"

Brielle groaned pathetically. She was so embarrassed she didn't even know what to do with herself. Bumblebee, thinking there was a real threat, cursed in Cybertronian. He growled out her name firmly, drawing out every syllable.

"Ambrielle Denise . . . "

Uh oh. Bee used her full name. He was serious. As embarrassed as she was, she knew she could trust Bee and she was worrying him unnecessarily. "That was Chris Bartel. He went to high school with me back in Illinois. He's . . . my ex."

"Ex what?"

Brielle chided herself for not being more specific. "He's, uh, my former mate."

Bee hmmm'd to himself thoughtfully. "You're lying."

Brielle was taken aback. Her face scrunched up with confusion and she matter-of-factly said, "Uh, no I'm not. Why would I lie about that?"

Bee's processors whirred. Try as he might, he simply could not believe that such a meager male specimen was once mated to Brielle. "We are speaking of the stout one, yes?" Bee asked. He needed to double check. Even when Brielle nodded, he still didn't fully believe her.

"Why would you mate yourself with such a pitiful human specimen?" Bee asked, sounding slightly disgusted. Brielle couldn't help but chuckle as Bee's tone.

"I go for personality."

"Clearly."

The pounding in her chest resided as she dissolved into laughter. Brielle wasn't great at making friends, so when she managed to get herself a boyfriend, everyone was surprised. Then they were disappointed when they saw the kid. Truthfully, he was Brielle's one and only boyfriend. They dated for just over a year, but he chased after her since freshman year Biology.

"Would you believe me if I said he dumped me?"

The mechanical sound coming from the radio sounded like a snort. "Lying isn't a good trait to have, Miss Piper."

Brielle threw her hands in the air, her mouth open in a smile. "I'm not lying! I swear!"

Although Brielle was laughing, Bee thought that the way humans chose Spark Mates was unorthodox by Cybertronian standards, Primus, even by Earth's own standards. Whatever happened to 'bonded for life?" Even humans idealize this, yet they rarely execute it.

"Very well. I believe you, although I scarcely believe that a specimen such as yourself would allow herself to be paired with such a—"

"Wait wait wait." Brielle stopped Bee's mini lecture. "What's that supposed to mean exactly?"

Bumblebee paused slightly. Had he offended her? "Just as you were referring to my holoform as an 'Abercrombie and Fitch model' earlier, surely you are aware that—"

"Bee!" Brielle used her hands to cover her beat-red face. Just as she thought; Bee complimenting her. She didn't even think that he meant to or knew exactly what that he was saying by human standards. Nonetheless, Brielle felt embarrassed. It was clear that she was no good at receiving compliments because she always turned into a meek little giggle machine.

Before Bee could further question Brielle's odd behavior, he sighted two familiar figures walking along the sidewalk. He chirped and whirred excitedly and caight Brielle's attention. She didn't see what the fuss was about until she spotted the familiar pair.

"Oh hey, it's Sam and Mikaela." She said.

'_Primus, don't let them see us.'_

Bumblebee didn't anticipate his charge coming into town today. For the past couple weeks, the mech had been telling Sam that he was leaving to attend to classified Autobot business. Instead, he was in town with a femme. Even on Cybertron, that sounded bad.

Brielle recognized the low mechanical hiss as a Cybertronian expletive. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the dashboard, she knew that Bee was hiding something from her.

"Bumblebee . . ." Brielle drew out every syllable, her voice rising slightly in an accusing way.

'_Uh oh. She used my full name. She's serious.'_ Bee thought tensely.

If there was one thing Brielle didn't like it was secrets. Right now Bee was acting like he was keeping one from her and whatever it was; it had to do with Sam and Mikaela. There was only one way to find out for sure. Before Bumblebee could lock his doors, Brielle got out of the car and Mikaela immediately noticed her. The brunette waved at Brielle, pleasantly surprised. Sam was surprised as well, but when he saw the vehicle she exited, he angrily tromped towards his Guardian. He stopped a few feet from Brielle and Bumblebee and began motioning towards the girl then to the Bee over and over again.

"What is this?" he asked.

Silence.

"What _is _this?" he asked again.

Brielle gave him an ignorant stare. She had no idea why he was being so pissy, but she felt the need to diffuse the tension. Raising her hands, her expression changed to 'deer in headlights' as she said, "It's not what it looks like!" in a breathy, damsel-in-distress tenor.

Sam did not look amused.

Brielle sighed with annoyance just as Mikaela arrived to the scene.

"Hey, Brielle." Mikaela's voice was warm and friendly, so she was obviously not in on the whole thing, whatever the 'whole thing' was.

Sam pointed a reproachful finger towards the Camaro. He jabbed it towards him a few times, trying to form words, but all that came out was angry babbling. Finally, he made dramatic sweeping motions towards the nearby buildings.

"This does not look like the Autobot base! Unless Ironhide decided that red is his color now." Sam growled, pointing towards a nearby Coke machine.

The girls began to put the pieces together. Brielle couldn't believe that Bee felt compelled to lie to Sam just so he could leave the house.

"Hold up." Brielle raised a hand up towards Sam's face to stifle his wacky tirade.

"Who says Bee wasn't going to the base?"

The girl shot a wary glance at Bee, signaling him to keep quiet and play along. Miss Piper placed her fists on her hips and elaborated.

"Bee was on his way to the base right now. I happened to run into him and begged to come along. That's all."

"Oh really?" Sam questioned, not buying it at first.

It was as if Brielle's minty green eyes melted to a pool of electric green acid. To Sam, it felt like she was burrowing into his soul and ripping it apart from the inside. A cold shiver ran down his spine as her lips parted, defying his previously condescending tone. "Really."

There was a long, cold silence before Sam awkwardly nodded his head. God this woman terrified him. Sam gained his composure and cleared his throat. "Fine then. If you can go, then so can we."

_Brielle gritted her teeth. 'Shit.'_

Upbeat chirps and whirs came from the Camaro before the radio clicked on.

"So come with me, everything you see is everything you need. Take a road trip. Go soul deep . . ."

"Then it's settled." Mikaela chimed. "Let's go."

Brielle sighed with relief. It looked like they were all talking a little road trip. Fun times.

* * *

><p>Sam, Mikaela, and Brielle haven't seen Optimus and Co. since they left the makeshift base weeks ago. Now their Autobot friends got a serious upgrade from the shabby warehouse they resided in before. Their base was much larger and they were free to roam around without fear of being spotted by civilians.<p>

"Jeeze, Bee. Is this place in the middle of nowhere or what?" Sam complained, although with good reason. All that could be seen was sand and cacti for miles.

The boy's girlfriend chided him by nudging his arm. "Well of course it's in the middle of nowhere. How would you feel if you happened to see a giant robot walking around near Walgreens?"

Brielle found the couple's banters to be highly amusing, mostly because Mikaela always won. The third wheel (or fourth?) was lounging in Bee's backseat in the most unladylike fashion (if laying completely upside down is considered unladylike). The girl felt the blood rushing to her head, her heartbeat growing louder in her ears. Finally, she was the one to ask what was on all their minds.

"Where is this place exactly, Bee?"

The radio changed from an upbeat pop song to a string of old news reports. "On the southern shore of Groom Lake, a large military airfield – bzzkt—other names include Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, and most recently Homey Airport."

Why did that sound so damn familiar? She was one hundred and ten percent positive that Anthony mentioned those names before. Hell, Brielle may have even heard the very same news reports coming from Anthony's room late at night.

Sam and Mikaela gave each other questioning glances. Brielle hmm'd inquisitively. She was usually a genius when it came to tidbits of useless knowledge, but this one stumped her more than it should have.

"Why do I get the feeling we're thinking too hard about this?"

Sam craned his neck to face her. Instead of seeing Brielle's lovely face, he was greeted by her knees instead. "Why are you sitting . . . never mind. What do you mean thinking too hard? It just sounds like an airfield to me."

It was Bee now who felt frustrated. He knew that Brielle knew, but she indeed was thinking too hard. His radio changed once more and an eerie tune filled the cab. The three recognized it as the opening theme to the X-Files. Once over, a rock song took its place.

"Beams of light up in the sky  
>Malfunctioned machinery, lost in time<br>Don't understand, I'm wondering why  
>How can this happen it's so out of line<br>Strangers among us  
>from beyond the stars<p>

Whatever you know keep your silence  
>Unearthly ones from galaxies afar<br>There will be violence  
>They know something<br>that we don't know

What cannot be seen they'll never show  
>Hangar eighteen—"<p>

"Area fifty one!" Brielle chimed, nearly hitting her head on her way back to right-side-up land. "Jesus do I feel stupid."

Sam and Mikaela were agape with this sudden realization, but Brielle was the only once bouncing up and down giddily like a nerd at Comicon.

"_The _Area fifty one?" Mikaela's rhetorical question was overshadowed by Sam's incredulous demeanor.

"But that's . . . is it even possible for us to even? Wow. So this means that aliens really do chill at Area fifty one. "

"Oh, Anthony would be _so _pissed right now."

It was Brielle's older brother who filled her mind with fantastical theories of the unknown. She loved to listen and keep up with the current conspiracy theories, but she never thought she'd actually ever make contact. That was just silly. She and Anthony always agreed that if there was life out there and if they were truly advanced, they wouldn't bother with Earth because of our 'primitive' technology and 'barbaric' ways (Bumblebee told Brielle about being captured by Sector Seven one starry night. She still fumes about it sometimes. "Fucking government" she would mutter).

Yet here she was inside of an extraterrestrial being and possibly one of the sweetest creatures she's ever met. Not to mention they were on their way to meet a few more otherworldly beings. Brielle felt a worm of guilt wriggle in her stomach. Part of her thought that this should've happened to Anthony, not her. He would absolutely die if he met Bumblebee or any of the Autobots. Brielle made a silent promise to herself that she would introduce Anthony to them one day when it was safer.

* * *

><p>Getting into the base was a story the teens would never to share with anyone. So many hands, so many pat downs . . . it definitely felt violating. The group was finally escorted to the hangar furthest from the airfield. They were told (ordered) to not enter the other hangars under any circumstances. Of course the humans' minds whirred with what other otherworldly beings were locked up and experimented on.<p>

The little organics exited Bee's cab and the mechanical chorus commenced until an alien robot was standing before them. Brielle felt joyful when she saw her friend's lively blue optics staring down at her. Her heart did a back flip when she saw another pair of blue optics appear from behind the scout.

"Hey, Ratch." Mikaela chimed, her gorgeous smile making Sam melt beside her.

The medic acknowledged the three with a hearty nod. "Mikaela, Brielle, Sam. Nice to see you all again." He then turned his attention to Bumblebee. "Long time no see, youngling." Bumblebee returned his greeting with a quick recession of dial tone (Cybertronian) and Ratchet laughed at whatever the scout said.

Luckily, Bumblebee called ahead and informed Optimus and the others of their visit. Brielle breathed easy knowing that Ratchet wouldn't be going on about what a 'nice surprise' it was to see them.

"Hey, where's Ironhide and Optimus?" Sam's question was currently swimming through the femmes' minds too.

Ratchet folded his mechanical hands behind his back. "Optimus is currently convening with William Lennox. Apparently your government has a proposition for us. As for Ironhide—"

"IRONHIDE! You're supposed to be the daddy!"

"I do not think your parental units have properly educated you on the human reproductive system. It is impossible for this stuffed object to have—"

"NO! YOU'RE the daddy and I'M the mommy! And THAT'S our baby!"

A low grunt sounded from inside the hangar. Ratchet continued his sentence as if uninterrupted. "Our weapons specialist has been residing with Lennox and his family as their guardian. He frequently watches over Will's daughter, Annabelle."

Brielle and Mikaela 'awwwed' in unison. They looked at each other with little baby faces and the back to Ratchet.

"That's so cute." Mikaela cooed.

"Don't say that in front of Ironhide." Ratchet said, serious as a heart (spark) attack.

Brielle and Mikaela giggled. Looks like the big tough mech had a soft spot after all (hand over your man card!).

An exasperated Ironhide exited the hangar with Annabelle nestled between his hands. She didn't look older than four or five but her porcelain skin, sapphire eyes, and curly blonde ringlets were enough to make the two females green with envy. The little girl hugged Ironhide's thumb lovingly while a raggedy old stuffed cat hung from her other hand. Ironhide glowered at the humans (don't you _dare _say a word or I'll atomize you all). Oh, it wasn't the humans Ironhide had to worry about. It was the CMO, who chuckled heartily at his old friend. The black mech gave a warning growl and Ratchet tried to compose himself, failing miserably. Ironhide gently set the little girl down and she skipped towards Sam, Mikaela, and Brielle.

"Hi!" she sing-songed while giving them a cheerful wave. The trio greeted her in return. Then, Annabelle's sapphire orbs locked with the yellow mech's behind her. Astounded that there was yet another Autobot she hadn't met, she ran towards Ironhide's leg and jumped up and down excitedly. "That's your friend too! Right!"

"That is Bumblebee." He answered. No one present had ever heard Ironhide's voice shift to such a warm and loving tone (was this really Ironhide, or?).

"Hi, Bumblebee!" Annabelle chimed.

Bumblebee knelt down and his radio clicked on, a southern twang permeating the air. "Howdy lil' miss."

Annabelle cocked her head to the side curiously, obviously picking up on Bee's lack of a voice. Ratchet explained to the little Lennox. "Bumblebee's voice is broken. He can't use it very much." A crude explanation, but good enough to sate the child's curiosity. A very unladylike snort came from Brielle. The group, save for Annabelle and Bee, gazed at her curiously. The victim of their stare averted her eyes and coughed nervously.

Brielle decided it was time to change the subject. "So what's Lennox talking to Optimus about?" her voice was quick and high-pitched; signs of guilt. Although the girl was really guilty of nothing except being graced with Bee's voice more than anyone else standing here.

Before the Autobots could respond, the individuals in question emerged from a separate hangar behind them. Optimus greeted his human allies and his scout, not the least bit surprised of their presence (although Brielle thought Sam had forgotten about his looming suspicion anyway). Annabelle ran into her daddy's arms and he scooped her up and spun her around a few times. Once releasing the giggling little girl, she ran back to the safety of Ironhide's leg and Lennox jogged over to the kids.

"Hey there, Cap." Sam greeted. Will grinned and nodded in his direction, but not without a little correction.

"It's Major now, actually."

"Oh, fancy." Brielle teased although she was genuinely impressed.

Optimus Prime's god-like voice caught everyone's attention. "Because of the remaining Decepticons, the United States government thinks it would be in the country's best interest to ally themselves with the Autobots in order to eradicate them."

Their attention turned to Lennox as he continued where Optimus left off. "Under the leadership of General Morshower, we would work alongside the Autobots. They're calling it the 'Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Team." Even Will rolled his eyes at the unnecessarily long title. "Or just N.E.S.T. for short."

The teens sighed with relief when they didn't have to commit the long name to memory. Their interest peaked dramatically at the mention of such an organization. What was all on their minds was the fact that Lennox and Optimus were comfortable sharing this information with mere civilians.

Mikaela smiled persuasively and her sweet as honey voice asked, "So, you gonna hook us up with summer jobs, right?" Lennox threw his head back into a peal of laughter. He knew that was coming.

"Well, normally I'd say no, but since you guys are sort of special cases, _maybe._"

Mikaela was excited, but realized this might not be all it's cracked up to be. "What would we be doing? Not pushing papers around or anything like that, right?" Lennox knew that was coming too.

"Well, actually—"

"I have requested that you become my pupil, Mikaela. After assisting me with the repair of Bumblebee's legs, I've realized that I need a pair of hands that can reach where I cannot." No one expected the CMO to chime in, but Mikaela's heart fluttered excitedly at the offer. Always keeping her cool, she flashed a smile at Ratchet and nodded gratefully. "Sounds like a plan to me."

It was Sam's turn next. Lennox explained that he could act as a liaison for the Autobots, although it was more like a liaison-in-training. He would merely learn the ropes and how to speak to governments in a diplomatic manner. The boy's breath hitched. His fists formed into little balls and it looked like he struggled to find the right words.

"Lennox, Optimus, I appreciate the offer. Really I do. It's just . . . I need some normalcy in my life. I'll be applying to college soon and there's a lot I have to do to prepare for that, ya know? Besides, I've had my share of Alien Armageddon."

If Optimus was disappointed, he did not show it. "It is understandable, Sam. It was merely an offer. You are free to accept it at a later time if you so choose."

After a warm glance from Sam to Optimus, it was time to find out what Brielle's awesome summer job would entail. Close combat? Weapon developing? Cybertronian Intel? Espionage?

"Actually Brielle, you could take up the liaison bit. I was also wondering if your sister," an annoyed huff came from Ironhide, "would be interested? Maggie and Glen are great at what they do, but they don't have the ability to hack like Marie does."

'_The fuck did he just say?'_

So, what Will was basically saying was that Sam, Mikaela, and Marie were offered internships and Brielle got the leftovers. Fucking awesome. It took all of Brielle's strength to resist the urge to have an all out hissy fit. Bumblebee saw her apparent (at least to him) agitation and went to her side. The yellow mech looked to Optimus and began uttering his native tongue. Optimus answered calmly and Annabelle giggled at the 'funny noises.'

Optimus just informed Bee that he requested Brielle to work closely with the Autobots, but Lennox refused. He was his best friend's niece and if anything happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do. Optimus knew he could persuade him otherwise, but did not attempt to when Bumblebee vigorously refused.

::Not a chance, Optimus! She could get killed! No. Absolutely not::

Optimus hummed thoughtfully. ::You are very fervent with your standing, Bumblebee. Odd, you did not act the same when you entrusted Sam with the All Spark. Why so protective, youngling?::

Bumblebee paused, not knowing how to respond.

The humans acknowledged the mechs' conversation, but Brielle wasn't going to wait politely for them to finish. She was being screwed over like always, but this time she wasn't going to sit down and take it.

"With all due respect, Major, I suck at liaising. I'd be much more useful doing, uh, something else." _'Anything else!'_

Lennox inhaled deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, Brielle. I just don't know what else you could do. I wouldn't be able to face you uncle if something happened to you."

Brielle understood where he was coming from, but she was a teenager damnit (I'm invincible! I know everything!). "Uh, Will. In case you forgot, I took down Barricade on my own. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

Lennox grumbled to himself. Oh, he just couldn't wait until Annabelle was an 'all-knowing' teenager.

"How are your injuries by the way? How'd your parents take the news?"

Oh, he was good.

Bumblebee wished possessed Ratchet's capabilities to examine Brielle's wounds. He asked Ratchet via comm. to examine them quickly and the CMO did so, reporting that they were healing at a normal rate. Bee allowed the air to exit his intakes peacefully.

Brielle's hands clenched tightly. She began chewing on her lower lip and her thoughts were lined with expletives, mostly _'This is bullshit! This is bullshit!' _The funny thing was that Brielle understood that it was a highly dangerous position she was asking for, but she knew she could do it. Her father's voice echoed through her mind.

'_Let me do it, you won't be able to . . . Don't even bother, you can't do it . . .You'll never be able to . . .' _

'_SHUT UP!'_

Brielle composed herself with the skill of a rabid badger. She gritted her teeth and gave a half-assed smile.  
>"Look, Major Lennox. If I need training, why don't you just put me through it? I <em>know <em>I can do it, whatever 'it' may be." Her voice never rose to a plea, although it came dangerously close. Lennox rubbed the back of his neck. Her big green eyes were getting to him, but he had to stand his ground. It would be as if he sent his own daughter out to fight giant alien robots. Not going to happen.

Finally, Optimus interjected.

"I believe that you should give Brielle a chance, Major Lennox. She has more than proved herself to us." The wise mech gazed down at Brielle. His ice blue optics radiated a sort of warmth that left the young woman with a sense of serenity (nothing can hurt me! I'm invincible!).

Bumblebee did not like where this was going. Was Optimus seriously considering allowing Brielle to face Decepticons? This must be a joke. Bumblebee wouldn't know what to do with himself if Brielle ever came in harm's way again, especially against Decepticons. The girl didn't truly understand what she was getting herself into.

The Backstreet Boys started singing, "Don't leave me girl, don't leave me, don't go . . ."

Brielle turned to Bumblebee, who was crouched on his haunches beside her. Her brow furrowed sympathetically, realizing how selfish she was acting. Bumblebee expressed on more than one occasion how he did not like seeing Brielle in danger, and she was throwing that back in his face by wanting to be out in the front lines. She sighed heavily and placed her hand on the side of Bee's face. Her voice chimed like an angelic bell when she whispered his name, "Bee . . ." The moment was cut short however when Lennox received a message through his walkie talkie.

"Major Lennox, we have a situation,' the voice gave Lennox coordinates to the 'situation' and continued, "A Decepticon has raided a civilian's home. We think they kidnapped a young woman inside the home. The house belongs to one of the civilians from the Mission City skirmish."

A large lump formed in Brielle's throat. Her hands covered her mouth, heart pounding. Why would the Decepticons kidnap a random person? Well, they wouldn't. Lennox looked crestfallen much to Brielle's despair. He and the Autobots all knew what Brielle was afraid of and the fact that they wouldn't verbalize it only confirmed her terror.

"Lennox . . ." Her voice was a mere whisper.

Will answered the distress call and made a sweeping motion to the Autobots. "We need to go. Bumblebee, get them out of here." He said as he motioned to the teens.

"Lennox!" she managed to find her voice, although it was shaky. "What's the address? Who's house is it?"

Lennox did not answer.

Her voice was a bout of angry whispers. "Oh Jesus God no. Oh God, please no . . ."

Optimus knelt down towards Brielle and said, "We will take care of this. In the meantime, stay out of sight. We will take further actions once the situation has been assessed," he then turned to the weapons specialist and instructed, "Ironhide, escort Miss Lennox to the main hangar and then meet us at the location. Autobots, rollout!" The mechs, save for Bumblebee, shifted to their alt. modes. The black Topkick drove off with a confused little Annabelle in the passenger's seat (Daddy what's happening?).

A military Jeep arrived and Lennox hopped in. Ratchet and Optimus followed suit at unspeakable speeds. Brielle gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself from having a nervous breakdown. Was it Marie that was kidnapped? How'd they know where they lived? What do they want? Is she still alive? The girl ran after the three cars only to be scooped up by Bumblebee's gentle hand. She struggled to break free, but to no avail. "Bee! Please! They have Marie!" Without a word, Bumblebee drew Brielle close to his chest and he transformed around her. Landing in the driver's seat, a seatbelt slithered around Brielle so she couldn't budge. Mikaela entered the passenger's seat and Sam hopped in back.

Mikaela placed a hand on Brielle's shoulder to comfort the girl. "She'll be fine. Optimus and the team can handle it."

Although Brielle wasn't Sam's favorite person, he tried to comfort the girl too. "Yeah, don't worry Brielle."

"Do you have siblings, Sam?" Brielle asked calmly.

Sam shook his head.

Brielle hissed out through her teeth. "Then don't tell me not to worry."

* * *

><p><strong><em>X X X<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Uh oh, has Marie been kidnapped? I know she comes of as a catty beeyotch, but she means well, honest!<em>

_P.S. and by the way: I made Annabelle a few years older in case you hadn't noticed, heh._

_Feel free to R&R! _


	7. That Four Lettered Word

_Hello yet again! This chapter will go somewhat out of order, showing you the events non-chronologically. Just a heads up, haha._

_Also, check out the awesome art of Bumblebee and Brielle on my author's page! :D _

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>That Four Lettered Word<strong>

* * *

><p>Prime and Ratchet led the way down the Nevada highway. Their wheels rotated at impossible speeds that could only be accomplished by an alien engine underneath their hoods. They would've slowed down for Will and his team's Jeep to catch up, but the situation called for immediate action. Not long after they hit the road, a monstrous black Topkick joined their midst, confirming to Will that Annabelle was safe with her mother.<p>

:I fear Brielle will attempt to escape: Ratchet commented via comm.

Optimus didn't skip a beat as he matter-of-factly said, :I believe she will:

Ironhide and Ratchet didn't know what to make of Prime's nonchalance. It almost sounded as if he wanted her to escape. :I think we should contact Bumblebee and warn him:

:That won't be necessary: Prime calmly interjected.

It was Ironhide that spoke next. :That human is either incredibly brave or incredibly reckless. She'd leap into battle without a second thought!:

A mechanical snort came from Optimus. :Does that sound any different than any of us?:

The black mech grunted, unable to answer. Prime was right, but Ratchet's spark churned at the thought of unnecessary injury.

:We should alert Bumblebee so he can take necessary precautions-:

:I don't think Bumblebee needs us to tell him that, old friend,: the Prime calmly explained, :Bumblebee has an . . . interesting attachment to Ambrielle:

Ironhide and Ratchet definitely noticed. The scout was strangely protective of the girl, and she of the scout. It was a link that could only be described as raw and innocent, as if they were born with pure, primal instinct to protect like a mother Cheetah to her cubs. Of course Bumblebee had the urge to protect his charge Sam and his mate Mikaela, but the ferocity behind his protection was distinctly different. It was something none of the Autobots could rightly decipher.

Lennox contacted Optimus via radio. "We got an Energon reading. It's coming our way and it's coming fast!"

Just as Lennox finished speaking, a girl on a motorcycle came rushing towards them, making Ironhide rumble with frustration (humans were always in the way!).

Not only was there a girl on a motorcycle two times too big for her, she was being chased by a purple Honda that was two times too small to even be a Civic. Suddenly, the Civic's bumper whammed against the motorcyclist's back tire, making her swerve violently. The bike flew off the road at alarming speeds and ran into a jagged rock. The swift force of impact sent the brunette flying over the handles and onto the hot desert sand.

* * *

><p>'<em>Shit shit shit shit shit.'<em>

The wind burned her eyes which made Marie blink furiously. Her blood turned to black sludge in her veins as she gripped the bike's handles as hard as she could. It might not have been the brightest idea to steal dad's Harley, but when faced with a human-sized robot from hell that wanted her face for dinner, it seemed like a small sacrifice.

It all happened so quickly. One minute, Marie had unearthed information about Cybertronian weaponry, the next; she thought she was experiencing an earthquake. She would have headed for safety if she didn't hear the metallic cackling afterwards.

The robot was the smallest Decepticon she'd ever seen, not that she's seen a Decepticon before, but Marie wasn't expecting a robot standing a little over seven feet tall (and with a purple paint job).

"I can smell ya, fleshbag!" the 'Con shouted just before using his pile drivers-for-hands to demolish the Pipers' front door. That was Marie's cue to grab her drive and her notebook, sneak out of her window, and find the nearest mode of transportation.

"Of all the days for Brielle and Bumblebee to be gone!" she hissed. Marie was silly enough to actually abide by the traffic rules for a few blocks before she saw a purple Honda Civic coming after her hot and fast. The teen made a high-pitched whine. It was already hard enough trying to handle the huge mass of metal under her (she'd nearly fallen off more than once), but now she had to fudge the speed limit and dodge traffic. For Brielle this would be easy as pie, but Marie wasn't her sister.

The purple Honda inched horrifically closer to Marie, making her cringe. She could feel those phantom red eyes boring into her. The braniac almost felt stupid when she didn't immediately know how the 'Con found her. She remembered just how Maggie and Glen got into their situation in the first place; they were tracked down after playing the alien frequency at Glen's grandma's house. Who's to say the very aliens that created the frequency weren't able to track her down just as easily?

Marie made her way out of the city and onto the open stretch of Nevada road. She felt like she had no time to think, only act. However, as she looked ahead, it seemed as if the road grew longer and longer, making her groan miserably. Once she was a good three miles out of town, she noticed a familiar search and rescue vehicle coming down the road along with a red flamed Peterbilt and a jet black Topkick. Marie felt so relieved she could have screamed.

Suddenly, she felt a powerful force behind her which made her lose control of the Harley. She swerved off the road and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground with a mouth full of sand. Marie groaned. She was bruised and battered, but no broken bones as far as she could tell. The girl didn't know how long she lay on the ground for. It couldn't have been long though because she soon heard the rumbling footsteps of the 'Con.

"C'mere, fleshbag! You're saving my aft today!"

The Decepticon took a handful on Marie's shirt and hoisted her up in the air, a plasma blaster aimed at her head. The poor organic experienced vertigo on her way up in the demon's grasp. Just as the black spots disappeared from her vision, familiar faces came into view. Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet had weapons pointed right at her. Soon, a black Jeep appeared behind them and a small group of soldiers poured out with weapons at the ready.

Optimus calmly spoke to the Decepticon. "Release the human, Rumble."

'_Rumble?' _Marie thought. _'Was that the purple guy's name? Speaking of which, where'd he go?'_ Marie only had to look to her left and see the charged cannon aimed at her head to answer her question. Once she realized who had lifted her up, she let out a horrific scream.

Rumble flinched at the screech the human emitted, physically disgusted by the sound. He didn't feel like being offlined today, so this little fleshling was his ticket to another millennia. He knew that Soundwave ordered him to destroy the human, but if he did that now, he'd be destroyed too. With his free hand, Rumble ransacked the bag that the femme carried and took hold of his prize; the device she used to discover information on his master (no one messes with Soundwave, lady!). He crushed the device between his fingers and a satisfied grin graced his faceplates.

"I'd love to dance, Prime, but I've got better things to do today. Later, slaggers!"

Rumble launched Marie towards the group of do-gooders and made his escape. Optimus caught Marie in his hand just as Ironhide made his attempt to pursue the 'Con.

"No, Ironhide. Let him go."

The black mech let out a low, alien growl and began to hiss a string of curses in his native tongue. "We can't let the slagger live!" he growled in English.

It was as if Marie was having an out of body experience. She saw Optimus set her down for a human medic to examine, but Ratchet intervened. She heard the CMO mumble about human's inferior medical technology and then a blue light scanned her body. "Hematoma of the tissue around her torso, but that's the extent of the damage."

Marie ran her hand around her torso, wincing in pain when she felt the skin around her ribs. Later would she see that the massive bruise on her torso took the shape of a giant hand.

Then, something entirely unexpected happened. For all Marie knew, she passed out and was experiencing a dream right now.

Of course Brielle wasn't standing a hundred yards away with a yellow robot behind her.

Of course the Decepticon known as Rumble wasn't transforming out of his alt. mode to face her.

Lennox's shouts finally sent her soul back into her body and everything came into focus with startling clarity.

Lennox shouted for his men to assume their position and fire when told. The Autobots looked just as startled as the humans. What came next was a surprise for everyone.

Just as Rumble slammed his pile drivers into the ground, Brielle fired an alien-like hand gun. The gun released blue plasma straight through to his Spark chamber, making Rumble's body stagger miserably before falling over like an inanimate heap of scrap metal.

* * *

><p><em>Earlier . . .<em>

It was exactly two minutes and thirty-nine seconds in counting until the sun would begin to set. Brielle only knew that because Anthony felt a burning desire to inform everyone in the house that morning. "I did the calculations myself." He boasted. Marie and Brielle, who was eating a granola bar and chocolate chip waffles respectively, rolled their eyes. Brielle remembered her twin giving Anthony a witty retort, but she couldn't remember exactly what she said. Those were possibly the last words she would ever hear her sister say, and she couldn't even remember them.

'_Don't think like that!'_

The twin shook her head vigorously as she sat on a metal chair in the locked hangar. Mikaela tried her damndest to console the melancholy girl, but to no avail. At a time like this, Brielle needed her privacy. If not, she wouldn't be responsible for anyone's broken limbs if they got on her bad side. Thankfully, it didn't seem like there was anyone in the hangar aside from Sam, Mikaela, and Bumblebee. Now, her mind stewed with possibilities of escape, but all scenarios ended with Bumblebee snatching her up and hauling her back to the hangar.

The brunette made a light growl of frustration. She didn't like sitting back and letting other people handle things for her. She was seventeen, she had her big girl panties on, and she knew how to take care of herself. Not only that, but it was her sister that was out there. For all Brielle knew, Marie could be face down in a ditch with her skin peeled off and pins sticking in her eyes. She shuddered at the thought and shook the gruesome image from her mind.

Marie may be stuck up and rude sometimes, but she was her sister. Marie and Brielle used to be partners in crime, even having the eerie talent of finishing each other's sentences. They were so alike it was scary. Back then, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. One year though, Marie went away to some technologically advanced college for an intense course in computer programming (or whatever the hell. Brielle didn't pay attention). When she returned, Marie was different. She was more of a know-it-all than before and constantly teased Brielle for not knowing how to read binary code or how to hack into a website. Then, Marie began to make friends with the 'popular' girls at school. The twins drifted apart, and their yin and yang characteristics became more apparent as the years went by.

Now that the girls were older, the teasing vanished (because Brielle can kick her sister's ass) and they've formed a mutual like for each other when in public, but the sisterly bond is not gone completely; it's just hidden behind one girl's cattiness and the other girl's stubbornness.

"Do you guys seriously not have any food in here? C'mon, a throw me a bone, Bee!" Sam's voice echoed from the farther side of the hangar. He was hell bent on finding a crumb or something to satiate his appetite. Brielle heard Mikaela click her tongue and say, "Sam, I don't think they'd have food in here. Have you ever seen Bee scarf down a cheeseburger?"

A disgusted whir came from the mech, but the sound was much closer than the voices of the two teens. Brielle turned around to see Bumblebee cautiously approaching her.

Bumblebee could practically feel the anger that poured from the organic's body. She wanted to save her sister, but that just wasn't going to happen. Not as long as he was around. Nonetheless, his Spark twinged painfully at seeing his friend so miserable. Bee's radio clicked on and his radio said what his mind thought. "I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue, I'm sorry about all the things I said to you . . ."

When Brielle saw Bee's dismal appearance: car door wings and the antennae flat and his body hunched over like a toddler that knew he was in trouble; the worm of guilt began to wriggle in the pit of her stomach. Of course she didn't want Bee to feel bad for keeping her here, but she needed to explain to him why she needed to leave. Ambrielle's emerald eyes glittered with determination. She stood up and walked over to Bee, placing a tender yet firm hand on his leg. "Bumblebee, I know that you're just trying to protect me, but I need to help find my sister."

Bumblebee looked at Brielle with regret in his optics. Organics were much too fragile and to Bumblebee, Brielle was exceptionally fragile. While Mikaela and Sam had the common sense to run in the opposite direction of danger, Brielle had a knack for wanting to greet said danger and invite it over for afternoon tea. The scout could see the girl's light fade when he did not respond. After a moment, Bee sat himself on the ground and gestured for her to join him. Brielle gingerly pulled herself onto Bee's knee and sat there patiently, waiting for him to speak.

Air cycled through the scout's vents in the mimic of a human sigh. "Brielle. The Decepticons are ruthless. They would not hesitate to kill you," he said, and then shuddered at his next thought, "or torture you."

The young woman could feel the heavy tones of pain in Bee's voice. The sound of despair coming from the mech was something she never heard from him before and it startled her more than anything. It pained Brielle when she heard his next words, "I . . . I know all too well how cruel they can be."

The girl's eyes filled with hurt and confusion. Bee took note of her expression and shrugged. "When Sector Seven captured me, well, that was nothing."

Ice filled Brielle's veins and she shivered violently. She didn't want him to explain any further. Just the thought of Bumblebee, her friend (her _best _friend!), being tortured by Decepticons made her sick.

"Bee, I—" Brielle began, but could not finish her sentence. She wasn't sure what to say. No words in the universe; human, Cybertronian, or otherwise, could take away the agony that Bee must have went through. The mech must've known how hopeless Brielle felt because he used one of his mechanical fingers to gently stroke her back. It was times like these when Brielle wished she could wrap her arms around the Autobot and never let go. She wanted to protect him from all the evils of the world, but even she laughed at the thought of a short lived human protecting an ancient and super intelligent creature.

The two stayed silent for a long time just relishing each other's presence. Brielle absently twiddled her thumbs as her mind tried to grasp the sheer longevity of Cybertronians. Finally, she was able to speak.

"Did you know there were over thirty-seven million casualties in World War I?" Brielle asked lifelessly, her eyes searching for something that was invisible to Bumblebee, bit his optics glowed intently as she spoke.

"And seventy million were killed in World War II. On nine-eleven, exactly two thousand nine hundred and eighty five people were murdered."

Bumblebee began researching each day mentioned and to his shock, Brielle was speaking the truth. Optimus was correct when he explained how humans had a great capacity for war and violence. Finally, Brielle's eyes returned to Bee. Her voice became very tiny and more vulnerable than he'd ever heard from her before.

"But you, Optimus, the Autobots. You've known war for—" Brielle tried to think of a big enough number to suffice, but her mind just couldn't muster one, "— a _long _time. Longer than any war known to man. The deaths . . ." Brielle inhaled deeply again, trying to stop herself from shivering. "Something I can't even imagine."

Bumblebee's optics softened. The girl was correct and Bumblebee's silence confirmed it. He only hoped that Brielle would never have to experience the hardships he had to endure. Suddenly, the light that had dwindled in Brielle's soul rekindled with a fierce brilliance. She shone brightly with determination, a sheer emotion that Bumblebee would never be able to replicate with an impersonal radio clip.

"But you still fight." She said.

It was not a question. Brielle carefully stood up on Bee's knee so they could be eye-to-optic. "You fight for Cybertron. For Optimus, for Ratchet, for Ironhide, for your fallen friends," her commanding voice became gentle once more, "for me." Brielle's heart began to race. Speaking from the heart wasn't one of her strong suits. She felt like she would stutter if she didn't concentrate on every syllable she uttered.

"Why do you fight?"

Bumblebee was taken aback. Such a question was never asked before; it never needed to be asked. War was all Bumblebee knew. He wasn't online during the Golden Age of Cybertron. Yes, he fought because it was his duty and part of his function. He would do as his Prime commanded of him, but still, there was much more to it than that.

He fought for Optimus not only because it was his duty, but because of Cybertron; a beautiful world he would never be able to see again. Although the glory days of Cybertron were now just stories told by older mechs, he still fights in the name of his lost home. Then there was Optimus, not only his Prime, but his father in so many ways. There was Ironhide, a mech with a gruff exterior, but also a mentor to the young scout. There was the ever grouchy Ratchet with his constant grumblings that Bumblebee found annoying, yet knew he couldn't live without. There were his fallen comrades (too many to name) with the newest to the list being Jazz; a kind hearted mech that appreciated the finer things in life.

Then there were his human allies.

Sam, the boy whose fate became intertwined with theirs due to a chance meeting in the ice long ago.

Mikaela, the girl whose fate became intertwined with theirs because of a chance meeting at a lake (and some help from Bumblebee).

Finally, there was Brielle. Her fate became intertwined with theirs due to a chance meeting in the Nevada desert late one night.

They were all such brave humans and Bumblebee would fight to the death for them.

Although these thoughts ran through Bumblebee's processors in less than a nanoclick, it felt as if he sat there a century when he finally heard Brielle's voice again.

"Love." She whispered.

Love. A word often thrown around by the human race, but when Brielle said that four lettered word; a sudden burst of warmth filled his Spark. Although he never said it aloud to his fellow Autobots, he did love them. They were his friends, his brothers in arms. The same for his human friends, he fought for them out of pure love. The yellow mech slowly nodded. He ceased stroking Brielle's back and then delicately placed a metal finger on her cheek. Her soft skin reminded him that he was talking to the wise-cracking Brielle; a human (organic, fragile, short-lived), not an ancient soul with words of wisdom to bestow (although he couldn't tell the difference as she spoke now). The girl managed to smile halfheartedly as she placed a hand on his finger and looked him hard in the optics.

"I _love _Marie. She's my sister. She's a part of my family. Wouldn't you do the same if it were me?"

Bumblebee cycled air through his vents. He hesitated, unsure of his own words. "I—"

"If it were me, what would you do?"

'_Take down anything in my path. Kill every Decepticon; every enemy in my way. Scour the Earth, the galaxy; I wouldn't rest until you were safe with me again.'_

Bumblebee sent a memo to his mainframe in order to block the thoughts of Brielle ever being in such danger. Such a fragile creature, a blip of existence, yet there was more fiery courage within her heart than any warrior Bumblebee had met on the battlefield. Brielle was so strong-willed and Bumblebee admired that.

The massive hanger door slid open just as Bumblebee was about to speak. He hissed in Cybertronian as a familiar human walked in with a silver briefcase in hand. Sam and Mikaela, apparently stopping what they were doing, jogged over to see what the ruckus was about. The pair cringed slightly at the sight of the man in the suit. Brielle's brow furrowed at the obvious gestures of dislike. When the man sighted the couple, he too cringed.

"You kiddin' me? I thought I'd saw the last of you two." He said disgustedly.

Mikaela crossed her arms and snorted. "Feeling's mutual."

There they go again with Brielle being out of the loop. She jumped down from Bumblebee and jogged over to the group of humans, Bumblebee right behind her. The man turned towards Brielle and groaned before saying, "_Another_ kid? Has Area Fifty One turned into a freakin' daycare center or does God just hate me?"

And already Brielle did not like this guy. She bore emerald daggers into his soul, hopefully giving him the creeps. "Hi to you too. I'm Brielle Piper, not a _kid_." She growled. The man took a moment to intensely scrutinize her face. His expression changed in less than a second from squinty and scrutinizing to wide and surprised (if not a little deranged).

"_You!_," he shouted while pointing accusingly at the young woman, "You're the little ninja that squirmed past my men outside of Mission City!"

Brielle raised a brow. If this man was trying to be serious, he was failing miserably. His exaggerated gestures and slight New York accent made Brielle scoff inwardly. Lucky for him, she generally wasn't a serious person either. "If by 'your men' you mean those Girl Scouts dressed in black, then yes, I'm the 'little ninja' that kicked their sorry asses." She said while crossing her arms. Her demeanor changed and she became haughty in her actions and speech. "Might want to train your 'men' a little more, sir." She said the last word with every drip of sarcasm she could muster.

Brielle felt like she was in a cartoon when the man's face grew fire engine red. She feared steam would shoot from his ears at any second. It took every bit of strength the man could muster to not explode. He opened his mouth a few times and garbled nonsense came out and he cut himself off each time. He finally took a deep breath (which didn't calm him that much) and growled, "I do _not_ have time for smart mouth brats like you, got me kid?" He matched Brielle's sarcastic ending with one of his own.

Brielle rolled her eyes and snorted. She looked over towards Sam and Mikaela and asked, "Who is this guy?" Before either teen could answer, the man pulled out a badge.

"Agent Simmons. Sector Seven." He then growled to himself and his beady black eyes darted towards Sam and Mikaela. "But not for long thanks to alien boy and his criminal girlfriend."

Brielle's eye twitched slightly when the man introduced himself. "You mean the Agent Simmons that tortured Bee?" Brielle asked with a toothy grin, barefaced malice pouring from her 'sweet' expression. Simmons' eye widene. He knew if she was able to take out grown men twice her size, one measly guy would be cake for her.

"Don't you talk to me about classified government—"

"Shut up," she hastily said, "Don't speak. I _will _hurt you."

Mikaela and Sam vouched for Brielle. "She's serious." Sam stuttered.

"She'll kick your ass." Added Mikaela.

Simmons waved his badge around and sternly said, "It is a federal crime to even touch an agent."

Brielle's striking expression did not waver. "Don't tempt me. What's in the briefcase?"

The soon-to-be former agent eyed the metallic rectangle. "I was sent here to consult with the NBEs," after Brielle gave a confused look (NBEs?), he continued, "This baby right here needs to be approved by NBE-3."

"A.K.A. Optimus." Sam muttered. After giving Sam a hard look, Simmons sauntered towards a nearby table. He entered a few numbers on the case and it clicked open. The teens walked over to see what super secret item was held within the briefcase. As they approached, they saw that Simmons eyed the item lustfully.

"This," he began, "Is Big Mama."

Mikaela eyed the item and scoffed. "It looks like some dorky little gun to me."

Indeed it was a gun, a handgun to be precise. It looked like a failed attempt at a FNP-9 pistol recreation. It was the cliché gunmetal gray, but there was no slide. Not only that, the barrel of the gun was adorned with veins of glowing blue light.

Simmons scowled at Mikaela's ignorance. "This 'dorky gun' can produce over six thousand degrees of burning plasma, so watch it missy."

"What do you need to show that to Optimus for? Wait, is that even possible?" Sam asked. The boy began to eye Bumblebee once the mech began making fierce hissing noises in his native tongue.

"While studying NBE-1, we've been able to develop a weapon based off their alien weaponry." Simmons answered, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"What!" Mikaela practically shrieked.

"That's against the treaty!" Sam yelled.

"That's why I'm bringing this to Optimus, alien boy." Simmons retorted and then proceeded to grumble about how the humans finally have a decent way to fight Decepticons and a stupid treaty has to get in the way of national security.

The argument between the teens and Simmons became a faint distortion of sound in Brielle's ears. She eyed the gun acquisitively, an idea brewing in her head. She looked over to Bumblebee and found that he was already looking at her.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. Bee answered with a few clicks and whirs and then Brielle asked, "Won't you get into trouble with the Big Guy?" Bumblebee shrugged and waved his hand, his whirs and clicks saying "no big deal." The girl gave a slight nod and reentered the conversation.

"Can I borrow that?" she nonchalantly asked. The trio gawked at her as if she sprouted a second head. She decided to explain, "I need a way to help find my twin sister. She's been kidnapped."

Simmons grumbled and shouted, "Don't lie to me! What kind of crappy excuse is that?"

Brielle lightly sighed. She shrugged in a way that meant "Hey, I tried" and then quickly pinched the agent's pressure point on his shoulder. Simmons' eyes rolled back into his skull and his face met the ground with a nasty smack.

"Go go go!" Brielle shouted as she grabbed the alien weapon and ran for the hangar exit. Bumblebee, already in front of her, transformed into his alt. form and Brielle hopped it the driver's seat, leaving a confused Sam and Mikaela in the dust.

"What was that?" Bumblebee asked via radio.

Brielle's heart was racing as her adrenaline kicked in. She punched the air triumphantly and giddily shouted, "Vulcan nerve pinch!" before howling triumphantly. A series of clicks and whirs came from the Camaro that sounded just like laughter.

* * *

><p>"Are you certain you know how to use that weapon?" Bumblebee asked, if not a little agitated. He was still stewing about Sector Seven creating weaponry based off Cybertronian design.<p>

Brielle gave Bee an unladylike snort as she examined the foreign weapon. "I used to go to the range all the time with my Uncle Jim."

'_She sought danger even before we met.'_ The mech thought wearily. At least now he was here to protect her (from herself more than anything else it seemed). "It is not of fully human origin." Bee added, scanning the weapon. He knew it was dangerous to not only disobey Optimus, but to allow Brielle to wield a prototype weapon that is unauthorized by human-Autobot relations.

Brielle waved dismissively. "Same basic principle. It'll be fine. Have you tracked Optimus yet?"

The mech's radio hissed static before turning off. Once off, Bee's voice took stage again. "Yes. The Autobots and Lennox are off road five miles ahead of us."

Brielle looked out the tinted window with her eyes squinted in worry. The next few miles were filled with a painful silence as thoughts raced through her mind. Why weren't they at her house? What if it was all a mistake and Marie wasn't in danger at all? It was a possibility, but then Brielle wanted to know what made the Autobots take a little detour.

Bumblebee jolted violently to the left as he veered off road. The sudden turn caused Brielle to hit the side of her head against Bee's door. "Ow!" she shouted in sharp pain, rubbing her head. "What the hell Bee?" she asked before seeing for herself. A large mass of boulders and cacti were able to shield their presence from the situation just a few yards in front of them. Closer to the road was Optimus, Ratchet, and an angry Ironhide, followed by Will and his crew. After further observation, Brielle saw a familiar brunette standing by in front of Ratchet. "Marie!" She was alive. She was safe, but why was there a retreating purple Honda zooming further into the desert?

"Rumble." Bumblebee uttered as he opened the door for Brielle. She exited the cab and put her back against the boulder, the pistol cocked and ready.

"Is that the bucket of bolts that kidnapped Marie?" Brielle's voice was low and threatening. Bumblebee silently transformed and crouched down so he was not visible.

"Yes, Brielle." He answered solemnly. The determined brunette cocked her head up to Bee. She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. She pointed the gun upwards and Bumblebee responded with his arm transforming into his plasma cannon. Brielle turned her attention back towards the purple Honda. It was nearly close enough now. She began to count in her head.

'_One . . . _

_He could've killed Marie._

_Two . . . _

_And they're just letting him go?_

_Well, I'm not that nice._

_Three!'_

The mech and femme leapt from their hiding place and blocked the Honda's escape route. The car skidded to a halt and transformed. It would be an understatement to say that Brielle was unimpressed with the tiny mech. He was short compared to any other 'Bot she's ever seen.

"Bumblebee! You slagger! Oh, looks like ya have a pet, eh?" Rumble said with a cocky grin on his faceplates. "Looks like the one I almost pulverized. Good for nothin' insects. She wouldn't stop screaming."

Brielle could feel her face grow white hot with anger. "If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll tear you apart and sell you for scrap metal." She growled between clenched teeth. Rumble bellowed with laughter. Although he put on an arrogant show, he was still wary of the yellow mech behind the small human.

"What, you gonna sick _Bumblebee _on me?" he asked, although slightly afraid that she would do just that. Brielle merely grinned and pointed the pistol straight for his chest plates.

"No. Worse."

Rumble was beginning to lose his patience now. He was trying to make his escape and a puny human was threatening him with primitive weapons! His arms transformed into his pile drivers and he growled in an alien-like manner. Bumblebee readied his cannon and aimed it at Rumble, but the blue plasma that ripped through the Decepticon did not come from the scout.

The force from the pistol was enough to make Brielle land on her back. Luckily the sand softened the blow for her, but she couldn't say the same for the heap of purple scrap in from of them. Brielle was dumbfounded. Did she? Was he? Wow. Bumblebee plucked Brielle by the shirt and steadied her on her feet. The girl ran a hand through her hair, completely awestricken. She glanced at Bee and whispered, "Told you I'd be fine," before laughing in disbelief.

Bumblebee rolled his optics. _'This time.' _He thought. The scout finally unblocked the communication link he'd been blocking since they left the base. Optimus' voice came in loud and clear.

:Bumblebee. You deliberately disobeyed direct orders: His voice sounded stern and Bumblebee couldn't help but flinch. :I was expecting you two sooner:

:Sir?:

The yellow mech wasn't expecting that from Optimus. Instead of giving him an answer, the Prime said, :Join us here. We will discuss this later:

It didn't take but a few moments for Bumblebee to transform into his alt. mode, Brielle to hop in, and for them to rendezvous with the Autobots a hundred yards away. Once Brielle exited the Camaro, the alien weapon tucked in the back of her jeans, Marie sprinted for her twin and gave her a big, spine cracking embrace.

"Brielle! How did you know I was in danger? Oh, God! Are you okay? I think I ruined dad's bike. He's going to murder me! You kicked that thing's ass! You're like a freaking super hero!" A whole jumble words came from Marie's mouth, her mind jumping from one subject to another. It was safe to say she was a sobbing mess. Brielle awkwardly returned the hug and then patted her sister's head.

"Uh, it's fine Marie. Calm down. I'm fine. You're fine, right?" Although Brielle didn't look it, her heart was doing back flips. Marie was safe and Brielle thought it safe enough to even crack a smile.

"Brielle!" Lennox's gruff voice cut off whatever Marie was babbling about. "Mind telling me why you're not back at Area 51?"

Optimus Prime's voice overshadowed whatever Major Lennox was about to dish out to Brielle. "Do you mind telling me when your next combat training session is, Major Lennox?"

Everyone looked over to the towering mech with scrunched faces, but Optimus' cryptic message suddenly began to make sense to Ratchet.

"It is obvious that Brielle has proved herself competent of wielding weapons as well as handling herself in the face of a Decepticon. Surely you can give her a chance at the position she desires."

:Optimus!: Bumblebee shouted via comm.

:Are you certain that is prudent? She is merely a child: Ratchet calmly added.

:You let _her _offline Rumble but not _me?: _Ironhide grumbled enviously.

:She will learn. She already accepts our existence and residence on Earth. She is a loyal ally: Prime explained. Before Bumblebee could argue, Prime blocked his channel with the scout.

"Well, I suppose she could _try _it out. For fun or something." Will said in a defeated tone. Brielle's eyes twinkled with hope.

"Really? Seriously?" She asked, unable to contain her excitement. Lennox sighed begrudgingly and nodded. Brielle giddily wrapped her arms around Lennox and said "Thank you thank you thank you!" repeatedly before letting go and doing the same to Optimus (albeit his leg). The mech chuckled warmly at Brielle's response and ignored Bumblebee's icy glare. Optimus began to further examine the weapon Brielle carried. To his shock, it was not a weapon he had cataloged in his memory banks.

"Is that Cybertronian?" Optimus asked, finding it difficult to hide his surprise. Brielle looked sheepishly at Optimus at first. She hated to be the one to break it to him.

"Uh, not exactly. It was created by Sector Seven . . . by studying Megatron."

Ironhide's cannons whirred with infuriation. Brielle could see where this was headed. "No no! Agent Simmons brought it thinking you were at base. I guess they created it before the treaty? He meant to discuss it with you." Brielle wasn't intentionally saving Simmons' ass, she was preventing a potential feud between Autobots and humans. "I kinda borrowed it. Without asking. Well, I knocked him out and stole it."

Will smirked at the thought of a hundred and ten pound girl knocking out a full grown man, and by the looks of it, so did the Autobots.

Optimus grunted. Although he did not particularly like Seymour Simmons, he thought his actions were wise. It was time to go home. "The matter will be discussed further at base. Autobots, Rollout!"

The mechs transformed into the vehicle modes while Lennox instructed his crew to clean up the remains of Rumble. Will departed in Ironhide while Brielle and Marie left in Bumblebee.

Optimus had carefully contemplated the extent of Brielle's involvement with the Autobots ever since Mission City. He respected that young Witwicky desired a normal life, but for Brielle, that didn't seem to be her chosen path. She was one of the very few humans Optimus fully trusted. Ambrielle Piper would train with the Autobots. She would learn not only how to be an American soldier, but a Cybertronian warrior.

* * *

><p><strong>X X X<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Bah sorry about the crappy ending! I wasn't sure how to end it.<em>

_By the way, for the deaths that Brielle stated, I got the numbers off a website called . If the numbers are inaccurate, let me know!_

_Once again, thanks for any favorites, alerts, or reviews! I appreciate them all!_

_Please review! I'd like to know what you like/love about the story, what you want more or less of, or just a nice comment! Anything keeps me going. Thanks!_


	8. Change

_Hello! It's been a long time, no? I don't know why, but I found inspiration once more! I also noticed a bunch of mistakes in my previous chapters which I'll fix whenever I find time to._

_Sorry this chapter isn't the best, but at least it's something, right? :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Change<strong>

* * *

><p>Once they were inside the yellow Camaro, Marie new she owed her sister (and her sister's mechanical bestie) an explanation. The darker brunette sighed heavily when thick silence filled the car. Brielle was examining the alien weapon in her hands, flipping it over and running a thumb over the surface of the gun. Bumblebee was silent. Marie felt her stomach twist at the realization that Bumblebee didn't do much of anything when she was around. Pushing her negative thoughts aside, she finally gathered the courage to speak.<p>

"I know I screwed up."

Brielle sounded completely uninterested. "Yep."

Marie rolled her eyes. It was physically painful to hold back her snarky remarks, but she knew she had to get her point across. "I, uh, discovered something. That's why that Decepticon came after me I think." she said. Brielle still didn't full acknowledge Marie. Okay, she had to bring out the big guns; something she knew would royally piss her sister off. "I made a backup of the frequency."

A low hiss came from the Camaro's radio and Brielle finally picked up her head.

"You _what_?"

'_Well, that got their attention.'_

"You heard me," Marie continued, "I'm sorry."

Brielle looked incredulous. "So, do you want every giant alien robot to kill you, or?"

Marie winced. Her thoughts filled with the image of Bumblebee stopping in the middle of the road and transforming into his bipedal form with her inside, crushing her body. She shuddered at the mental image.

"I found something that can help the Autobots. Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't thought of it already." Ah yes, she had to add a bit of snark in there somewhere.

Brielle fully turned around from the passenger's seat. "Well, what is it?"

Marie crossed her arms. "I want to wait so I can tell everyone at once."

Truthfully, Marie was nervous about telling the Autobots that there's a way to bring their friend back. What if she was wrong? Would they squish her? Oh God, she hoped they wouldn't squish her. She could only hope that what she proposed worked, and hopefully, she could slowly start to gain the Autobots' trust.

* * *

><p>It took exactly thirty-three minutes to get everyone together in order for Marie to make her proposal, about fifteen minutes for her to fully explain her findings and just how it could be possible to bring Jazz back and only about three nanoseconds for Optimus Prime to respond. In that time, Marie had no idea that the Autobots had been conversing via comm. The girl had a hard time deciphering the mechs' expressions, but when their leader's voice interrupted the short silence and said, "For the sake of our fallen comrade, we must try."<p>

Marie internally jumped for joy. It would take Ratchet, with the help of Mikaela, over a month to repair Jazz. "This planet's resources are inadequate for what we intend to accomplish, so it will take time." Ratchet explained.

It would also take a bit of time to receive clearance to the Naval Base that had the Cube fragment under tight lock and key. Once they got that, the Autobots would have to carefully slice off a small enough fragment for their friend (who knows what would happen if they used the whole shard).

After the little meeting, everyone in the room cleared out, eager to take this plan into action. Marie stayed behind, trying to avoid the inevitable medical examination she needed after being thrown around like a rag doll by Rumble. She didn't even notice that one more body stayed behind until the sound of metallic gears whirred from behind her. Marie turned around to see Optimus Prime, watching her thoughtfully. Marie let out a yelp in surprise, making Optimus adopt a warmer expression.

"I did not mean to startle you," his soothing voice explained, "I just wanted to thank you for what you have done for the Autobots, and for me."

Marie looked taken aback. She had hoped the Autobots wouldn't hate her as much, but she never thought it would actually work! "I—I—It's nothing. Really. With those Decepticreeps hanging around, you probably need all the help you can get." she uttered quietly, face growing hot with embarrassment.

Optimus continued to examine Marie, so similar to Brielle in appearance, yet different in many other ways. It is true that the Autobots did not particularly care for the darker-haired twin at first, but it seems that Optimus was too quick to judge with this youngling. The red and blue mech's optics did not leave Marie as she finally found the courage to look him in the eye.

Marie crossed her arms, a sign that what she was about to say would not be easy for her. "I'm sorry, by the way. Y'know, for how I acted when we first met. I guess I'm not very good with first impressions." She smiled up at Optimus, who returned her smile.

"It is alright, you have already been forgiven." he said. At that, Marie beamed. However, her genuine smile slowly faded into a melancholy one as another subject crossed her mind. She slowly began walking towards the stairs to the catwalk so she'd be on Optimus' optic level.

"Optimus, I know what my sister wants," she began, referring to Brielle's eagerness to assist the Autobots out on the battle field, "and I know that if she really wants it, she's going to do it no matter how reckless it is."

The ancient mech knew all too well the price of recklessness. He knew how much Ambrielle meant to her sister, as well as to Bumblebee. "Brielle has proven to be a warrior. She is resolute, strong, and just," Optimus caught the knowing look in Marie's eyes.

"Yes! She is all of those things, plus a million more." Marie interjected, her arms out wide. "She's also freaky-scary when she gets mad and hilarious when she wants to be, and . . ." tears threatened to well up in the girl's eyes, "the best sister in the world. My only sister." She sniffled, trying her damnest not to cry in front of the Prime. With a look of fiery passion, she gazed into Optimus' optics. "Please, take care of her. Protect her. Be a better father to her then ours is to her. Please."

Optimus' optics widened as Marie recited her plea. It was impossible for him to deny her this request, for it is something he's done for all of his comrades—his family.

"Marie, you have nothing to fear. I will take care of Brielle to the best of my abilities. Don't worry."

The mech's voice made Marie feel so safe, how could she not believe him? Her genuine smile returned, and she profusely thanked the Autobot leader.

It seemed that a lot of things would change now, even more so than before. The promise from Optimus consoled Marie. She knew that her sister had Bumblebee too, and she honestly believed that the crazy yellow mech would die for Brielle. Marie had no idea just how deep their relationship went. The funny thing is, Bee and Brielle didn't know either. Not yet at least.

"Well," Marie began, dusting her pants, "I guess we should be on our way then. I probably have a concussion or something after that little adventure."

Optimus smiled when Marie took on a more casual tone. He offered to escort Marie to the med bay, which she eagerly accepted.

'_A gentleman too!'_ Marie thought. She had sorely underestimated the humanity that these creatures possessed. She was indeed dreading the trip to the med bay, but as Optimus lifted her and placed her on his shoulder, she somehow felt a little bit braver.

* * *

><p>Even though the sun had vanished from the sky, the day was not over for Brielle. She sat at a metal table in one of Area 51's hangars along with Bumblebee, Optimus, Ironhide, Lennox, and Epps. Mikaela was currently assisting Ratchet with Jazz's repairs, and Sam was silently watching with a bandaged Marie. Sam expressed more than once that he wanted to go home (it's a school night dammit!), but Bee explained (lied) that Optimus wanted him to stay for this meeting.<p>

Brielle tipped the chair back with her feet resting atop the table, arms crossed, waiting for Lennox to begin. From behind her, Bumblebee's radio chimed in, "You'll break your neck sitting like that."

Brielle clicked her tongue. "How do you manage to even find those sound clips?"

"It's a gift . . . and a curse." A voice uttered from Bee's radio.

"Okay," Lennox finally began, sitting down next to Epps. "Simmons is gone. The weapon Sector 7 created will be destroyed."

"A damn shame. That thing is cool as hell." Epps interjected.

Brielle's brow furrowed. She knew why Optimus didn't want humans to have their technology, but if she was going to even have a chance at fighting against the Decepticons, she'll need more than what human technology can provide.

"Do you _have _to destroy it?" Brielle asked, finally sitting herself correctly in her seat. "I mean, it could be useful . . . for me." She muttered the last part. Lennox rolled his eyes. He knew this was going to come up.

"You'll blast yer eye out." Ironhide's interjected, his voice gruff as ever.

Brielle huffed. "Will not!" She blew a few strands of hair from her eyes, contemplating exactly how she was going to win the argument. If she knew anything, it was that acting like a child would get her nowhere. So, she sat up straight with her hands neatly clasped together and resting on the table.

"Look," she began, directing her statement at the one being she felt it mattered for the most: Optimus. "I absolutely understand why you don't want humans to have your technology. Frankly, humans ain't too smart, and all most want is power." She heard Ironhide cycle air through his vents in agreement. "You want me to train. To fight. I know I can, but to be honest, I'd really rather not get stepped on in the midst of a battle—"

"And who says you're going to be in battle?" Lennox interrupted, but Epps jabbed his side and muttered, "Let 'er finish."

Brielle gave Epps a small smile in thanks. "I'm not saying you should allow humans access to your technology because that would be stupid. What I'm saying is," she took a moment to word her next statement correctly, "What I'm saying is, allow those humans who you trust to better equip themselves against the enemy. Like 'Hide says, we're incredibly squishy."

A metallic grunt from Ironhide signaled that he agreed with her last statement.

* * *

><p>Optimus listened carefully to Brielle as she referred to the weapon that he had in his possession at this very moment. Brielle did make a good point, but it was very possible for the weaponry to get into the wrong hands. As Brielle spoke, he crossed his arms, taking in the conversation as his processors recorded it and stored it in his internal archives.<p>

All the while, Bumblebee remained strangely silent. Optimus decided to open his private channel with the scout. :You seem oddly quiet, Bumblebee: It was more of a statement than a question.

Bumblebee, also never taking his optics away from Brielle, answered, :Well, it would keep her safer with such a weapon. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to allow her to use it. Just in case:

Somehow, the yellow mech's response did not surprise Optimus. :Would it put your processors at ease?:

Bumblebee felt almost ashamed to say so. :Yes:

At that, the Prime closed his channel with the scout. It was settled.

"You have a valid point, Ambrielle. I will allow you the use of the weapon only when necessary." Optimus said. A huge smile graced Brielle's lips. His scanners showed the tension leaving her bioenergy field.

"Yes! Thank you, Optimus!" Brielle chimed, profusely thanking the Autobot leader just as Marie had done earlier. Optimus chuckled at yet another one of the similarities the twins shared.

The Prime's answer also roused confusion and frustration from two other beings however. Ironhide and Lennox quickly tried to interject, but the finality in the Prime's voice told them it was no longer up for debate.

"Hope you know what you're doin', big guy." Lennox grumbled.

"As do I." added Ironhide.

"How come _she _gets to use it?" Epps teased, grinning at the teen, who in turn stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Alright, alright." Lennox huffed, utterly defeated. "Time to get the kids home."

* * *

><p>Of course, Bumblebee was the one to take the exhausted teens home. By the time Marie first set foot in the base, she gushed to Mikaela about how wickedly awesome Brielle was when she took down Rumble. Sam listened, only half interested. "Still wasn't as cool as taking out Megatron." he joked.<p>

Mikaela was dropped off first, followed by Sam, next was the twins. Marie sluggishly got out of Bumblebee and trudged to the demolished front door. Before they left, Lennox told Brielle that her parents and brother were informed of the situation. No doubt that they'll be chewing Marie out in the morning, but it was unlikely that Marie cared. She was exhausted after today and felt like she could hibernate through the school year.

Brielle stayed slouched in Bee's driver's seat. The two stayed silent for a long while, unable to initiate a light-hearted conversation after all that had happened today. Brielle still had her purchased items from earlier that day, but the feeling of whimsy she had when she first saw where Bee had taken her was like a far away dream after the flood of fear that filled her when she discovered her twin was in danger.

Finally, Bumblebee spoke. "Prime has suggested I should double my patrol around your home. Soundwave has plenty more where Rumble came from."

Lately, it felt as if his guardian protocols overrode nearly every of his actions. No, that couldn't be it. It felt different. Something he has never experienced before. It is something he cannot rightly put into words; therefore he hasn't spoken of it.

"Bet you'll enjoy the break from Sam's mom, yeah?" Brielle asked as she cocked her brow. A string of clicks and whirs from the radio answered Brielle's question. Brielle giggled at Bee's response and the scooped up her bags and exited the mech. "C'mon," she said, setting her things on the front porch and then tiptoeing to the backyard. Bumblebee eagerly followed in his alt mode.

Once they both were in the privacy of her backyard, Bumblebee quickly shifted into his bipedal form and in one enthusiastic movement, scooped Brielle up and set her on his shoulder while he sat himself down softer than what should be possible for a being as large as he.

One of their favorite pastimes was just sitting in Brielle's backyard on a clear night and watching the stars. Brielle loved listening to Bee's description of his home planet. She often heard the sound of whimsy in his alien-yet-human voice and it pained her to know how dearly he missed Cybertron. She leaned against his helm in affection, stroking the top of his head.

"Bee, I have the feeling that things are gonna change." She said, her voice a soft whisper.

Bumblebee felt the same way, although he could not pinpoint how. He knew Brielle would be training with Major Lennox at the Autobots' temporary base. Perhaps he could assist her in her training, if she allowed it that was.

"You've got a friend in me . . ." Randy Newman sang. Brielle smiled.

"My best friend: an autonomic organism from the planet Cybertron. Couldn't get better then that." She teased, nuzzling his helm.

Bumblebee used the word 'friend,' but he somehow felt that it wasn't the right word. It wasn't strong enough. The resonance his spark emanated when Brielle was near was like nothing he'd ever felt before. He had only an assumption of what this could be, but knew it could not happen between an organic and himself . . . could it?

For now, it did not matter. Things may be changing, but at least they have right now.

* * *

><p><strong>X X X<strong>

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><p><em>As always, thanks for reading! <em>


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